UNDRESSING EMMANUELLE: A memoir

I always approach Biographies with somewhat trepidation.Sylvia Kristel gave me a lot of pleasure when I was younger ( I am sorry guys, do you want an honest review or a load of cr*p) so I was interested in her life. Now if you are a fan of the 3 Emmanuelle movies please note NOTE... THIS BOOK IS A SPOILER. Although I thoughly enjoyed the book The first film is not what it seems to be.Although Sylvia drank a lot of alcohol ( Champagne) I was staggered to find out who got Sylvia on to the Cocaine, someone who was so jealous that she was working, she often went to work having " walked into a cupboard"I loved this book. I read it in 48 hours often going to bed at 3.30am.Remember, some of those scenes in the first film the beautiful scene of Emmanuelle riding ahead on a horse with her pure white dress flowing I have always liked her tiny figure, well, Sylvia could not ride a horse and that " Is a Bloody Man"Hope you enjoy!

Not a conventional autobiography by any measure, this is more a collection of snapshots of her life and career. She had a difficult childhood but I'm not sure how much that directly affected her subsequent adult life; that's more down to the excesses of 'Hollywood' and 'Celebrity' at the time. She is brutally honest about many of her relationships - interestingly she seems to have kept a significant degree of control rather than being the innocent 'victim' that the #metoo movement would have us believe. She is also frank about the limitations of her career (and acting talent?) and the effect of the huge success of a single film. Her account of the making of "Emmanuelle" is interesting to those of us around at the time. Otherwise, her life seems to have been dominated to a great extent by alcohol, cocaine and often very 'unsuitable' men. 'Lovable Lovejoy' doesn't come out of it well. That she survived is something of a miracle and that seems to be down to her child and her discovery of her artistic talent. Not an easy read but worthwhile, especially to those who remember her as such an iconic character of the times.

Enjoyed this enormously. Seems she had an unusual upbringing which perhaps explains her adult life - "I am what I am", seems an appropriate expression for how she appears to view herself

This is a story of lively young women from Utrecht rise to fame from a model to world wide erotic star. It charts her rise as a feisty 20 something to a much more calmer and experienced women in her 40’s. The men the drugs the booze are all dealt with here with complete honesty. It’s an honest heart felt story on how your star can fade. She seems to take her sometimes chaotic life in her stride and should be a lesson to others who wish to follow a similar path. I don’t suppose much has changed in 40 years. It’s like you’re a fly on the wall!

I thought i was buying a somewhat happy and saucy book about famous Emmanuelle star Sylvia Kristel-instead it was a lament of the unhappy adolescent turned star despite herself,deprecating the movie and all that came before and after-she kept on making a bad choice after the other career-wise and she was not ever in a good place thru out her life.depressing,but i wish she has found her peace now.

An excellently written book & one that I'd recommend to anyone who remembers "Emmanuelle". Or who had a "crush" on Ian McShane, as I did in the 1960's!

Beautifully written & you will feel so sorry for her. She came from a traumatic homelife & was exploited by the industry & the men in her life. Ian McShane doesn't come across as a nice man in this account, though both she & he were consuming gargantuan amounts of alcohol & drugs st the time. I hope she found peace before her untimely death.

Didn't find it worthy of finishing the book

Undressing Emmanuelle: A Life Stripped BareI saw the movies shortly after they came out. I enjoyed them. None of ones with the other 'Emanuelle's. She was unusual looking, & striking with a laid back casualness. She typecast herself seemingly easily. She kept & maintained her heart's naivete'. She admits rather candidly, very matter-of-factly, actually, hiding herself from herself with drugs & alcohol. She knew what the cost would likely be to her.She knew she was fooling herself, freely, no guise or deceitfulness. I at the time, envied Ms. Kristel for her ability to adapt, to shape-shift & change. It is only when we are older, that we realize all is not what it seems. She learned that skill early on. She learned the fine yet martyr like art of being useful, being one who is not easily replaced. She really was no different than the rest of us. We are humans who want love so badly, we allow ourselves to at times, be abused.She was always very sophisticated, classically classical. Elegant with no hint of haughtiness someone else would likely personify. Artfully shot it was mort Art Film than pornography, at least to me. A lot women I know who have seen these movies have said their eroticism was shaped to a degree by her portrayal.Ms Kristel, thank you posthumously,for the insight into your mind, your life,& your heart. Thanks for the view. A very honest self portrayal. She had a wry sense of humour & wit... Great read

I FOUND THIS BOOK BY SYLVIA KRISTEL TO BE VERY HONEST, OPEN AND BETTER THAN I THOUGHT. HER CHILDHOOD CERTAINLY IS WEIRD AND ABNORMAL. HER PARENTS BOTH ALCOHOLICS WERE CERTAINLY NOT VERY GOOD PARENTS. NEITHER WAS SYLVIA WHEN SHE WAS DRINIKING AND DRUGGING. SYLVIA DOESN'T GIVE AWAY ANY REAL DETAILED SEX STORIES IN HER BOOK BUT SHE IS HONEST AND ADMITS TO SEVERAL AFFAIRS. SHE DOES NOT GO INTO MUCH DETAIL ABOUT HER MOVIES SEX SCENES AND SHE SEEMS TO ONLY BE MODERATELY INTERESTED IN SEX IN REAL LIFE. SHE DOES A GREAT JOB DESCRIBING HER COKE AND BOOZE ADDICION WITHOUT BEING TOO GRAPHIC. I ADMIT SHE WAS VERY SEXY AND ALLURING IN HER MOVIES AND FOUND THEM TO BE WORTH WHILE. SHE DID LEARN TO ACT EVENTUALLY. NOW SYLVIA IS RECOVERING FROM HER ADDICTIONS BUT IT HAS NOT BEEN AN EASY ROAD AS SHE HAS HAD CANCER BUT HAS SURVIVED. HER STORY IS WELL WORTH READING AND IS NOTHING LIKE HER CHARACTER EMANUELLE LIVED.

I have been a big fan of Sylvia Kristel since her Emmanuelle movies. My favorite movie of hers is Mata Hari. She was a very beautiful woman and very sexually appealing. I was so sad to read about a lot of her life as she described it in her memoir. I wondered that if she had never taken up smoking, drinking, and drug use would she have lived longer. Most likely yes. It might have been tough to not take up smoking and drinking as it seemed that both of her parents smoked and drank alcohol to excess. She should have never taken up abusing drugs though; this she could have prevented from ever happening. Unfortunately it seems that too many people in the entertainment industry be it acting, singing, or playing professional sports end of abusing their bodies in all sorts of ways. They all make too much money and are negatively influenced by others in their fields.As I finished reading her memoir I couldn't stop crying over what happened to her, her early death from cancer, most likely caused by her 3 poisons: smoking, drinking, and drugs. Rest in peace Sylvia.

Not exactly what I expected. There's no index nor table of contents, just 89 "chapters" which are about two pages each. Each chapter is written like a scene in a movie, with dialog but also with Sylvia's thoughts at the moment. Hard to believe anyone could remember exactly what everyone was saying in so many conversations taking place over a span of decades, but I suppose it's possible. I was also hoping to read more about the two movies I've seen her in so far, Claude Chabrol's Alice ou la Dernière Fugue and the American "sex comedy" Private Lessons, but she barely mentions them at all. Still, it is interesting to read about her childhood and drug abuse problems and it only cost me a couple dollars so worth it.

A very interesting, sad life a person who was over one by her own desires but still managed to evoke sympathy from and for others