Rant #827: Crystal Kristel

I am sure you have heard that actress Sylvia Kristel, who will be forever known as the star of the 1970s erotic "Emmanuelle" film franchise, died at age 60 from cancer.

The 1970s were a different time indeed, for sexual awareness.

Coming off the free and easy 1960s--when many sexual taboos were blown off the map--films began to reflect this new atmosphere.

Just about everything was a go, and nudity and sexual permissiveness were now the norm, not the exception.

Suddenly, it was OK to see an X-rated movie with your partner, and films like "Deep Throat" were playing to packed audiences away from Times Square.

But those films were still found to be too raunchy for many local movie houses, so right around the corner came soft core films like "Emmanuelle," films made in Europe which promised a bit more than they actually delivered.

Lots of nudity, lots of grunting and groaning, but little else.

Kristel was a statuesque beauty who had to be persuaded by her boyfriend to do these movies. Tall, thin and with long legs, she became the fantasy of many, although the movies were pretty wretched, by any standards.

But they made money, and she set the groundwork for numerous other actresses to portray the title characters over the decades--yes, decades.

Just check out late-night cable TV on the movie channels, and you will find that "Emmanuelle" movies are still being churned out, with different actresses playing the leading role.

And they pretty much follow the same format--a young, innocent beauty introduced to sexual pursuits by others.

Sure, there has been an "Emmanuelle In Space," or something to that effect, but generally, the movies follow the pattern I described.

Kristel made many other films, most of them soft core ones like "Emmanuelle," and even made a few films in the U.S.

But her life kind of faded afterward, and she fell into drink and drugs, only to emerge most recently behind the scenes as a director.

But to many, she will always be Emmanuelle, and even if those films were pretty awful, they made plenty of money, and isn't that what the bottom line is in the entertainment field anyway?

(P.S.: And congratulations to the Tigers. They beat my Yankees, and gave them a real good whipping. Onto the World Series ... .)