# Need to know about Emmanuelle in Bangkok **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 22, 2004, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-know-about-emmanuelle-in-bangkok/235763 "2004-03-22T20:20:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![cuauhtemoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@cuauhtemoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuauhtemoc)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-know-about-emmanuelle-in-bangkok/235763/21 "2004-03-23T14:52:42Z")
That’s interesting, **Sublight**. So my thread title’s wrong, and the movie is _Emanuelle in Bangkok_. I guess I’m not much of a connoisseur of adult films. All I know is what half-remember from staying up until 3AM when I was thirteen and furtively watching Cinemax After Dark with the volume turned all the way down. Ah, those were the days. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-know-about-emmanuelle-in-bangkok/235763/22 "2004-03-23T15:08:38Z")
Yep, I spent my teenage years in the 80’s sneaking downstairs to watch Cinemax After Dark as well. Fond memories of a lot of wild 70’s Europorn. Funny thing is, now that I’m free to watch whatever I want, none of the stuff in the erotica section at the video store looks worth renting. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-know-about-emmanuelle-in-bangkok/235763/23 "2004-03-23T15:20:53Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Moving this to Cafe Society. I think you have been wooshed and I just want to say I am happy it was not me, because I was _this_ close. ::sigh of relief:: ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-know-about-emmanuelle-in-bangkok/235763/24 "2004-03-23T15:22:25Z")
Well played **cuauhtemoc**. Surely this can’t have been moved on a whoosh. It must be that game we’ve heard only whispers about: Pit Pong. ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-know-about-emmanuelle-in-bangkok/235763/25 "2004-03-23T15:54:39Z")
> [@dangergene](#): > > hey, there’s a church near my office that proudly announces it’s Assembly of Emmanuelle! I’m really trying to work up the courage to go in and find out what it’s all about! > > (I’m being serious here, there really is an Emmanuelle church in downtown Singapore. Can any christian-types who also enjoy a bit of adult entertainment elighten an ignorant atheist?). Typo. They (or you) meant [Emmanuel.](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=emmanuel) ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-know-about-emmanuelle-in-bangkok/235763/26 "2004-03-23T19:00:16Z")
Maybe the mods simply figure that Cafe Society was overloading with geeky _Star Trek_ threads, and needed something to compensate. “Captain, the Cafe Society forum’s overloading with Trekkies! We’re losin’ equilibrium” “Dammit! Can we bleed something from the other forums?” “There’s a dog show thread in MPSIMS.” “Negative, ensign, that would be a clear violation of the charter.” “How about this Great Debates thread on Bush’s latest attack ads?” “Good God, man! Why not just blow up the SDMB while yer at it?” “Wait, I have something! Here’s a parody thread in the BBQ Pit about taking minors to bad movies! But–” “But what, Lieutenant?” “–it’s a porn film, sir!” “Move it, girl! I’ll bleed th’ excess pressures into the tacheon phase emitters, she’ll hold!” “Do it, Lieutenant!” “Board equilibrium returning to normal levels, Captain.” “Good work, everyone. I’ll think of an excuse for Starfleet later.” ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-know-about-emmanuelle-in-bangkok/235763/27 "2004-03-23T19:58:05Z")
> [@Sublight](#): > > Yep, I spent my teenage years in the 80’s sneaking downstairs to watch Cinemax After Dark as well. Fond memories of a lot of wild 70’s Europorn. > > Funny thing is, now that I’m free to watch whatever I want, none of the stuff in the erotica section at the video store looks worth renting. Tell me about it. Even tho’ I can rent anything I want, nothing turns me on more than scrambled Skinemax. And now with digital cable, you can’t even get scrambled channels anymore…☹ ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-know-about-emmanuelle-in-bangkok/235763/28 "2004-03-23T21:05:21Z")
> [@Sublight](#): > > Here I was about to make a snotty nitpick reply when I checked and found out you’re right: Sylvia Kristel was in fact the real Emmanuelle, while Laura Gemser had to settle for only one ‘m’ as Emanuelle. > > Laura’s still my favorite, though. All this Europorn arcana goes way over my head, but, as a Steve McQueen fan I’m familiar with the in-joke of casting dirty-book author Emmanuelle Arsan as “the virgin who must not be soiled” in the Sand Pebbles. [http://club.telepolis.com/at734/Scan/ArsanEmmanuelle.jpg](http://club.telepolis.com/at734/Scan/ArsanEmmanuelle.jpg) It’s absurd, but looking at the photo in the link, I can’t help thinking that women are shaped differently today than they were in the 1960’s. Odd. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-know-about-emmanuelle-in-bangkok/235763/29 "2004-03-23T21:44:20Z")
Holy crap! As soon as I saw the title I knew this was a rant about the thread linked to in the OP. That thread people were politely trying to say “Excuse me??? You _must_ be joking.” I figured this thread wanted to pursue the double standard a bit more emphatically. I can’t believe it got moned to the Cafe. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-know-about-emmanuelle-in-bangkok/235763/30 "2004-03-23T21:50:07Z")
> [@cuauhtemoc](#): > > Let the record show that this _parody thread_ was originally posted to the BBQ Pit. FWIW, **cuauhtemoc** I agree wholeheartedly with your parody. Something’s a little askew when sex is “eeeeeeeevil”, but gory violence is just peachy. (Cartoonish or not.) Splatter flick? Sure, let the kid watch it. As longs as there are no displays of human sexuality. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Beauty\_Personified](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@Beauty\_Personified](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beauty_Personified)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2004, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-know-about-emmanuelle-in-bangkok/235763/31 "2004-03-23T22:49:50Z")
> [@Slithy Tove](#): > > All this Europorn arcana goes way over my head, but, as a Steve McQueen fan I’m familiar with the in-joke of casting dirty-book author Emmanuelle Arsan as “the virgin who must not be soiled” in the Sand Pebbles. > > [http://club.telepolis.com/at734/Scan/ArsanEmmanuelle.jpg](http://club.telepolis.com/at734/Scan/ArsanEmmanuelle.jpg) > > It’s absurd, but looking at the photo in the link, I can’t help thinking that women are shaped differently today than they were in the 1960’s. Odd. Oh, yes! Movie and magazine women in the 60s and early 70s were, in general, so much sexier! They had hips, and much more proper proportions. I’ve enjoyed seeing the return of the low-cut, hip-hanging bikini bottoms. Too bad so many models and celebrities today can’t fill them out properly. Anyhoo… ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-know-about-emmanuelle-in-bangkok/235763/32 "2004-03-24T00:20:21Z")
Best. Mod move. Ever. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-know-about-emmanuelle-in-bangkok/235763/33 "2004-03-24T02:25:21Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > Best. Mod move. Ever. Thank you. Yes, I knew What I was doing. No, I was not wooshed. I _did_ consider putting it in Great Debates, though. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![cuauhtemoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@cuauhtemoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuauhtemoc)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-know-about-emmanuelle-in-bangkok/235763/34 "2004-03-24T02:29:08Z")
> [@Eats\_Crayons](#): > > FWIW, **cuauhtemoc** I agree wholeheartedly with your parody. Something’s a little askew when sex is “eeeeeeeevil”, but gory violence is just peachy. (Cartoonish or not.) Well, the poster from the other thread can use whatever guidelines he wants for deciding which movies his daughter gets to see, I just found it amusing and worthy of mockery that it was such a binary “all-or-nothing” prospect - you know, violence is okay, so she’s allowed to see as much violence as she can possibly stand, and no amount of violence is too much… whereas _sex_, on the other hand, is not okay, so any suggestion that there’s such a thing as sexuality is _taboo!_. Wouldn’t it be easier and more realistic to let her see a little of both, but not extreme amounts of either? A little balance? Some moderation? Hello? As far as the move to Cafe Society, I’m as confused about it as the rest of you. Mods work in mysterious ways, eh? ---
**Author:** ![Beauty\_Personified](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@Beauty\_Personified](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beauty_Personified)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-know-about-emmanuelle-in-bangkok/235763/35 "2004-03-24T04:51:23Z")
> [@cuauhtemoc](#): > > Well, the poster from the other thread can use whatever guidelines he wants for deciding which movies his daughter gets to see, I just found it amusing and worthy of mockery that it was such a binary “all-or-nothing” prospect - you know, violence is okay, so she’s allowed to see as much violence as she can possibly stand, and no amount of violence is too much… whereas _sex_, on the other hand, is not okay, so any suggestion that there’s such a thing as sexuality is _taboo!_. Wouldn’t it be easier and more realistic to let her see a little of both, but not extreme amounts of either? A little balance? Some moderation? Hello? I believe the poster of the original thread did elaborate on what type of violence was and wasn’t acceptable for the daughter. Fantasy horror films - those with ghosts, monsters, supernatural entities - tended to be okay, but reality-based violent films - that deal with rape, serial killers, war - might not be. (And, before someone brings up films like _Friday the 13th_ in reference to serial killers, note that the killers and scenarios in such films tend to be far from believable.) Anyhoo… ---
**Author:** ![cmonidareya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@cmonidareya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmonidareya)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-know-about-emmanuelle-in-bangkok/235763/36 "2004-03-24T05:10:46Z")
All I know is that I have always been able to tell when people are not really having sex in a movie and it’s never made me want to go out and have sex with people. I can tell it’s fake and not real. But you never know, if someone might see a murder in a movie, they might get the urge to go out and kill someone!! Hmm… now to flip the subjects and post it in the thread this is a parody of… Oh wait, I think posters in that other thread are already using this logic!! Hmm… scenes of gore–won’t motivate me to kill, it’s fake! scenes of sex–will motivate me to do God-knows-what!! It’s also interesting to see that parents are too uncomfortable to talk to their kids about their questions about sex. I guess they’ll have to learn about sex on the street then… ---
**Author:** ![Beauty\_Personified](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@Beauty\_Personified](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beauty_Personified)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-know-about-emmanuelle-in-bangkok/235763/37 "2004-03-24T06:22:07Z")
> [@cmonidareya](#): > > It’s also interesting to see that parents are too uncomfortable to talk to their kids about their questions about sex. I guess they’ll have to learn about sex on the street then… Where they should be learning about it in the first place. And I’ll be out in the street waiting for them. }:-\> (We need more types of smilies!) ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-know-about-emmanuelle-in-bangkok/235763/38 "2004-03-24T14:01:17Z")
I just want people to know that I dreamed about this thread last night. In my dream, I went to the library, but not one I’ve been in for at least 6 months, and walked by a rack of books which included some erotica, and picked up a book called Emmanuelle in Bangkok and other stories (or words to that effect). I took it, and my stack of other books) over to a chair, but woke up before I actually read any of the book which shares its name with the title of the thread. I do remember that it was my plan to read part of the book there in the library because based on what I remembered from this thread I was too embarassed to take it out of the library. In case you are wondering, yes, when I have dreams which I remember, this is par for the course. I only remember my dreams once every six months or less. ---
**Author:** ![cuauhtemoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@cuauhtemoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuauhtemoc)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-know-about-emmanuelle-in-bangkok/235763/39 "2004-03-24T16:27:49Z")
And thus is the [meme](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/040213.html) of _Emanuelle in Bangkok_ further propagated throughout the landscape of human consciousness (which was pretty much my main goal in starting this thread). ---
**Author:** ![Interrobang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/interrobang/32/17463_2.png) [@Interrobang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interrobang)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-know-about-emmanuelle-in-bangkok/235763/40 "2004-03-24T17:34:27Z")
I can’t believe people actually enjoyed _Emanuelle in Bangkok_. Sure, the sex is hot. (I’ll never think of grilled cheese the same way again…) But the producers were obviously too cheap to actually film in Bangkok and just built some cheap “Bangkok”-style sets near Vancouver and the San Fernando Valley. It’s really distracting to see fake Buddhist temples when you’re trying to watch a woman and a pony share some intimate moments. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-to-know-about-emmanuelle-in-bangkok/235763.md?page=1)