Back in 1974, classy director Just Jaecklin gave the world Emmanuelle - a tasteful soft core classic for the ages. It remains one of France's most successful film exports. There were many official sequels but in Italy, the land of ripping off other films, the concept of Black Emanuelle (Emanuelle Nera) came into existence. She is a globe trotting, uninhibited, sexually liberated photo journalist who gets into sexy capers wherever she goes. Black Emanuelle was played by the exquisite Indonesian Laura Gemser who always injected a touch of carefree classiness into the role. She was just perfect. The definitive Black Emanuelle films were directed by Italian exploitation supremo Joe D'Amato (Aristide Massacessi) - a man equally at home in horror and in sexploitation. The Black Emanuelle films were heavily influenced by other genres and subgenres in Italian cinema such as the Mondo movie and the cannibal film. The films were not just a success in Italy - they were also international smash hits and remain cult items to this day. There were many variations on the Emanuelle theme so I have kept the list strictly on D'Amato/Gemser collaborations.