"Muschimaus" review

Following my previous entry about the upcoming "Muschimaus mag's grad heraus" DVD, here is a preview of what to expect.

The Story

Frivolous Senta (Ulrike Butz) is thrown out of her residence for a reason we will later find out.  Owning just a suitcase and the clothes on her back (a raincoat) she decides to hitch a ride.  To help achieve her goal she flashes her naked body to an unsuspecting driver, who crashes his car in disbelieve - yes, she's thát gorgeous!

This little stunt lands her in court, but since she has no money to pay for the damages and her shrewd 'double nip-slip' can't sway the conservative judge, she is sentenced to...
...write down her memoirs!
Inspired by classic erotic literature, Senta's writings predominantly feature her past sexual encounters - presented as flashbacks - up to the point which led her into court.


The soon to be famous 'double nipple slip'

The Movie

Fans of the genre will be pleased as they are presented the usual German sex-romp ingredients: men sitting in trees (for whatever reason), uncomfortable sexual positions, a ton of nudity, sped up slapstick gags and the omnipresent Italian immigrant (not played by Rinaldo Talamonti this time).

However, it's apparent that director Hubert Frank was an in ambitious mood because he eagerly attempts to push this cinematic experience to a higher level.

His camera angles and framing are slightly atypical yet always intentional, with a fine eye for composition.  Many shots contain loads of deep space and depth, sometimes achieved by the use of mirrors, which vastly increases the production value.

 

Director Hubert Frank's ode to "Vertigo"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

High angles = high production value

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deep space at low cost

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sophomoric symbolism can be found throughout in tower bells, fire hoses and a shot of simulated fellatio followed by a man blowing a trumpet.  More clever and amusing is a scene where Senta is eating a banana with a brown ripe spot on it, which is mirrored by her boyfriend burning his erection on a candle.

Director Frank even lets Ulrike break the 4th wall by deliberately having her stare and talk right into the camera for a split second.

A composite of the burnt banana(s) gag

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inconspicuously breaking the 4th wall

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sex scenes also tend to go a bit further than usual with plenty of full frontal male nudity and a rather explicit masturbation scene only topped by a giant close-up of Ulrike's 'muschi'.

If you haven't figured it out by now: "Muschimaus mag's grad heraus" is without a doubt one of the better efforts to come out of the 'Aufklärungsfilme' sub-genre era.

Ulrike Butz

Ulrike portrays Senta as a flirtatious free spirit, ostensibly naïve, always sticking up for herself and landing on her feet.  While at first glance she's casually exploring life, sexuality and their boundaries, deep inside she's yearning for true love.  Sounds like a huge cliché, but Ulrike's stunning presence, contagious enthusiasm and fine thespian skills make you actually care for her and secretly wish you'd met someone equally enchanting on your way to adolescence.

She's practically in every scene and carries the movie effortlessly.  Everything combined, "Muschimaus mag's grad heraus" is definitely one of my personal favorites within the Butz canon.

How many 'bells' do you count?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Technical Mumbo-Jumbo

The film is presented in its correct aspect ratio of 1:1,85.  The print used for this transfer sports some minor scratches and blemishes (mostly during reel change sections) but the colors are vibrant and the image is sharp.

Overall, the quality is much better than to be expected for a film this old and rare.  It's highly watchable and the few minor flaws never distract or take away from viewing pleasure.

The audio is pretty clean with its German (dubbed) dialogue comprehensible throughout.

In addition to a few missing frames (the source is a used positive print) it seems the title card is m.i.a. as well.  To fill in this gap we are shown a still taken from the "Jagdzeit für Naschkatzen" poster followed by a still containing the "Muschimaus mag's grad heraus" title.  It must be noted though, that things like this are subject to change before the actual DVD release.

The rest of the credits are original and complete, superimposed over the first scene.

 

NOTE:

At the time of writing, a specific release date hasn't been announced yet, but I will let you know the moment it's official.

 

Many thanks go to Michael Rüdel and Walter Potganski from moviemax GmbH München.