Seven
peculiar women arrive, one after another, at a snow-covered Bavarian country
home owned by a gynecologist named Alphonse. Apparently, at one time,
these women were (or are) his mistresses. They have now been invited to
this remote spot in the wilderness to meet with him for numerous undisclosed
reasons. As they wait for Alphonse, the women share secrets, experience
fear, enflame hatred and eventually face their own femininity.
In
1963, this motion picture was considered 'the most scandalous film
of the year.' It was scheduled to open throughout Europe during the
lucrative boxoffice Easter Week. However, the Catholic Church lodged a
mandate against the distributor, Nora Films, forbidding the premiere to
occur during Holy Week [arguing 'this is a sacred ecclesiastical occasion,
not a public holiday']. The FSK (i.e., Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle
der Filmwirtschaftdelay), the censorship arm of Europe's film industry,
agreed with the Vatican's demand and postponed the run. The movie was
was burdened with further requests for edits (of objectionable material)
causing the studio, Schorcht Films, to file for bankruptcy. Limited 'adults
only' screenings would showcase the film through various independent
venues in Germany, Sweden, Italy and France with no visual censorship.
But, essentially, the Catholic Church had managed to diffuse the the motion
picture.
Even
though - by today's standards - VENUSBERG doesn't hit the 'tantalizing/scandalous
level' of 1963, this film is surprisingly contemporary and widely
on-target with regards to its unique feminist narrative. The performances
[especially by Marisa Mell in her first lead role] are stunning, coy and
raw. The camerawork by Wolf Wirth is breathtaking, easily on par with
Gianni Di Venanzo's exquisite work with Federico Fellini [the film is
very reminiscent of 8 1/2]. And director Rolf Thiele's insightful
vision, while demanding and controversial, is an absolute masterful achievement
in cinema.
A
German movie with optional ON/OFF English subtitles;
fullcreen format, (88 min.), in DVD format, encoded for NTSC ALL REGIONS,
playable on any American DVD machine. Extras include Marisa Mell theatrical
trailers.
Seven
peculiar women arrive, one after another, at a snow-covered Bavarian country
home owned by a gynecologist named Alphonse. Apparently, at one time,
these women were (or are) his mistresses. They have now been invited to
this remote spot in the wilderness to meet with him for numerous undisclosed
reasons. As they wait for Alphonse, the women share secrets, experience
fear, enflame hatred and eventually face their own femininity.
