"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.

Vampire Ecstasy hits DVD in the UK

In January 2013 Medium Rare Entertainment will be releasing "Vampire Ecstasy" (aka "Der Fluch der schwarzen Schwestern") on DVD in the UK for the first time ever!

They might want to correct the spelling here...

Surprisingly, this disc will contain the uncut 103 minute version.  Sole extra included is a documentary on Joseph Sarno, titled "A touch of horror".

Here are the BBFC's previous and most recent judgements on the film.

Ulrike's "muschi" comes to DVD!

Although "Muschimaus mag's grad heraus" (aka "Jagdzeit für Naschkatzen") played in German theatres in 1974, this Hubert Frank sexploitation comedy apparently never saw a legit release on VHS anywhere, which makes it one of the rarest and least seen films ever to feature Ulrike Butz.  A frustrating fact for fans, since playing the lead character gave Ulrike the opportunity to truly display her thespian skills, thus making it one of her most important films.

Walter Potganski from moviemax GmbH in Munich is in possession of a used 35mm positive print of "Muschimaus..." which will be the source for the upcoming and highly anticipated DVD, sceduled for release sometime next year.  A very exciting event, as this will be the first time the film has ever been available on any type of home video format!
Given that no negative or interpositive could be located, you can't expect it to look pristine and sound crisp, but from what I've heard and seen so far the overall quality seems considerably better than I had initially anticipated.  Unfortunately the soundtrack was dubbed in post, a common practice for this type of film from that era.

Being an avid film buff and collector, I do have a few concerns...
I sincerely hope that the movie will be fully uncut and any print damage won't result in frames being tossed out.
Also, looking at some screen caps from the digital transfer I noticed that the aspect ratio here is a bit off, as the image is somewhat stretched horizontally - a technical flaw that can be easily fixed before the final authoring stages. [see EDIT below]

I will try to keep you informed regarding the details of this release, it's a must have!
Meanwhile, here are some screen caps from "Muschimaus mag's grad heraus" to give you a little taste of what's to come.

Screenshots © moviemax GmbH München

EDIT:
The aspect ratio issue is most likely the result of the software used to take these screen caps.  The film itself will have the correct aspect ratio on DVD.

New blog on Ulrike's films

Good news for anyone who's interested in the individual films Ulrike starred in - there is a new website out there!
Fellow blogger tian1806's intentions are to provide more detailed specs such as release dates, alternate titles and various pictures for every single film that featured Ulrike.

You can visit the site here.

I applaud your enthousiasm and wish you the best of luck on the project!

Lobby Cards #2

Uli in Color #2

Although I haven't posted in quite a while, be sure to revisit previous posts, as I often expand them with more details and pictures.

The Story - update #2

Ulrike Butz was born on 1st July 1954 in Frankfurt am Main.  She was raised in Miesbach, Bayern (Bavaria) by her parents Hermann and Ingeborg.  As a teenager she left home to travel through Southern Europe and ended up in München (Munich) where she first stood naked in front of a camera at the tender age of seventeen.

After her father had found out about her dubious career and drug addiction, he tracked his daughter down and selflessly provided her with everything she needed to kick her destructive habit, including a nice apartment and opportunities to broaden her education.

Because she continued to relapse after several stays in rehab facilities, he even changed his will, making sure Ulrike would only become a beneficiary if she successfully could remain clean and sober for at least a whole year.

Desolately, when Hermann Butz died in 1976 of a stroke at the early age of 54, Ulrike was doing time in jail on theft charges.

When she was released six months later, she regretted having let down her father and tried desperately to change her ways.

Either she was too weak, or the lure of the high was too strong, because in September 1979 she was arrested again for carrying pot.

Closing the Aichach prison doors behind her six months later, she was greeted by an old friend.  Together they tried to make ends meat through cleaning chores and waiting on tables.  While their humble home consisted of a tiny room with just the bare necessities, the upside was that Ulrike maintained sobriety throughout.

This relationship would even spawn a baby boy.

Ulrike in 1980, finally able to smile again.

 

In 1981, she did legally inherit a large sum of money from her father's estate, which she partly used to set up her own costume rental shop in Neuhausen, a business that ultimately did not survive.

The proud owner of a costume rental store.

In early 1988, it is believed a then 33-year-old Ulrike was spotted by an old acquaintance, standing in line at the welfare office in München.

Ulrike Butz died on 27th August 2000, at the age of 46.

NOTES:

Here you can find the initial biography and update #1.

Ulrike's IMDb page has also been updated in light of these new findings.

 

SOURCES:

Official city archive records
Neue Revue, July 1980
AZ, May 1988

A huge thanks goes to Michael Rüdel for providing me with lots of leads and information.