A brief film review: "Egon Schiele: Tod und Mädchen" [2016 Austria, Luxembourg]

Dieter Berner's biopic of one of Austria's most famous expressionists, "Egon Schiele: Tod und Mädchen" [Eng. Title: Egon Schiele: Death and the Maiden] gives a different take on the great artist's relationship with his sister Gertrude (Gerti), long-term lover and muse Walburga (Wally), and wife till their early death Edith.












The film begins during the last days of Egon Schiele (Noah Saavedra) - when his sister Gerti (Maresi Riegner) visits his apartment with rations. She sees him slumped on a chair facing a pregnant and dying Edith (Marie Jung) in bed - both had been struck by the Spanish Flu epidemic. He was drawing Edith even then, before passing out due to fatigue.

Egon's backstory is recollected through Gerti as she attends to her dying brother amidst the chaos and shortages during the final stages of the First World War. She recounts the days when she became Egon's first nude model at the age of sixteen, and also the unconventional surroundings in which the orphaned siblings grew into adulthood.

Through his bohemian friends, Egon is introduced to cabaret artist Moa (Larissa Breidbach), his first professional model who will also initiate him to sex. Gerti was part of the same circle of friends, and much to the chagrin of her brother who's also her legal guardian, falls in love with one of the boys in the group. The siblings fall out briefly, but strong bonds reunite them time and again.

When Egon's mentor and fellow artist Gustav Klimt (Cornelius Obonya) introduces him to model Wally (Valerie Pachner), they soon end up living together, and it is during this phase that Egon also gets into trouble with law following an allegation of abduction of an underage girl. While he's acquitted of that charge, the judge brands his art pornographic, and imprisons him for making his works accessible to children. Wally stays by his side during the entire ordeal, but leaves him heartbroken when Egon decides to marry a neighbour from across the street...

Berner's meticulously crafted film gives a sympathetic take on Egon Schiele's life and exonerates him from allegations of incest and paedophilia. The famous artwork from which the film's title is taken also makes an appearance in a moving scene, when it is first exhibited by Schiele in Vienna. The cinematography, while ambitious at times, is pleasing nevertheless and the overall production is of a high quality. The performance of Valerie Pachner as Wally is particularly memorable. Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon DVD Link [PAL] | Amazon Blu-ray Link
Machine-Translated PAL Subtitle

 

The Nudity: Maresi Riegner, Larissa Breidbach, Valerie Pachner, Noah Saavedra, and others
The film features several instances of posed artistic nudity from Maresi Reigner and Larissa Breidbach. There are also two brief sex scenes featuring them separately. Valerie Pachner and Noah Saavedra appear nude together in one scene, and there are some extras who also appear nude during assorted cabaret scenes.



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A review: "Keller - Teenage Wasteland" [2005 Austria]

Writer-director Eva Urthaler makes an assured début with her erotic sociological thriller "Keller - Teenage Wasteland" [Eng. Title: Out of Hand]. Surprisingly, this is her only film to date, and unless it is due to a change in her profession, it's fair to say that there are far worse directors plying their craft than what her work represents.

Set in Vienna, we see two bored school boys strike up an unlikely friendship - Paul (Ludwig Trepte) is from a poor background, living with an ill single-parent mum, whereas Sebastian (Sergej Moya) comes from a wealthy family with an entrepreneurial dad. They don't seem to have any other friends. Most of their after-school time is spent with Sebastian trying to impress Paul - whether it is target-practising with a gun, stealing vodka from the local supermarket, or awkwardly trying to chat-up passing girls. It's plain to see in no time that Sebastian isn't really interested in girls, but very much so in the oblivious and shy Paul. All his efforts go towards earning Paul's affection.

When shop assistant Sonja (Elisabetta Rocchetti) catches Sebastian stealing and orders the two to leave, they follow her after work. For no apparent reason, they knock her unconscious in the basement laundry room of her apartment, and kidnap the unconscious woman in a shopping trolley by taking take her to a disused factory. Having performed the audacious act without perhaps even wanting to, and clueless as to what to do with her next, they tie her up in a chair and leave for the night.

The dynamics of the trio  - the captors and the captured, undergo a distinct change over the next few days through various interactions. Sonja, even while being held under stressful conditions against her will, starts playing mind games with Paul who's already infatuated with her but only too afraid to admit. But Sebastian can see it, and he'll be the one tortured in the heart from here on. The audience begin to sense that things are not heading towards a happy ending...

While there may be plenty to nitpick on the screenplay in terms of its believability, Ms. Urthaler nevertheless focuses resolutely on the themes she's concerned about. As it turns out, the film is not necessarily about unrequited gay love, even though it forms part of a broader, darker backdrop within a social and psychological context. It is not only about the boys, but also the young woman.

We know that assault and kidnapping are serious crimes with consequences, and the director doesn't delve into these acts to preach us what is good and evil, but instead explores the circumstances leading up to these random acts of motiveless violence. Sonja too realises instinctively that the only way she will survive is by creating a rift between the two boys, and manipulates them for her own ends, tellingly when her violent boyfriend (Georg Friedrich) comes to rescue her. It requires a bold director to take on a subject and imbue it with strong erotic overtones, more so for someone making a début, and Ms. Urthaler is sure bold. On the film's technical merits, there are scenes that are extremely well executed in terms of cinematography and set design that adds to the atmosphere. Georg Friedrich shows his promise in this early limited role as Sonja's boyfriend. Both the male leads, still in their teens when the film was made, also give a commendable performance. Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon.de DVD Link [PAL] | Amazon.com DVD Link [NTSC]

 

The Nudity: Elisabetta Rocchetti and Ludwig Trepte
Elisabetta Rocchetti's character might as well not have a name - she's treated largely as a female object by both her boyfriend and captors until Paul (Ludwig Trepte) falls for her and starts treating her with a degree of respect. But it is not helped by the fact that she often comes across as a wanton vamp who secretly craves to be whipped - which for me was the most disturbing aspect of the film, because it sends the wrong signal to people with a slightly less endowed frontal lobe to start assuming that assaulting, kidnapping, and starving women won't bother them as much. In addition to the sex scene when both Rocchetti and Trepte are shown in the nude, Ms. Rocchetti intermittently appears in various stages of undress throughout the film.



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Scenes from “Das Flüstern des Mondes” [2006 Austria]

Austrian director Michael Satzinger has attempted a genre-bending gay-themed mystery-romance with his "Das Flüstern des Mondes" [Eng. Title: Whispering Moon]. And he pretty much pulls it off!

The complex storyline involves a heady romance between two young men - Jannis (Julian Stampfer) and Patrick (Dominic Hartel, credited as Dominic Hartl), trying to solve the bizarre serial murder of local politicians. Patrick - mute after a childhood trauma, tries to upstage his mother (Liane Wagner) - an investigative journalist, as revenge for causing the suicide of his father, or so he believes. The murder weapon is apparently an exotic Amazonian toad, kept by the owner of a travelling circus. Patrick is equipped with a secret camera as he joins the circus as a help, hoping to record any incriminating evidence. This will lead to an unexpected distraction for Jannis, as he'll have to contend with a potential love-rival in the form of Mo (Julia Shwarz). Events take an expected turn, and lovelorn Jannis will have to face the consequences. But then again, all is not what it seems in this charming little charade...

The film is quite playful in that the plot never follows a straight trajectory - extraordinary twists are inserted into proceedings to heartily parody an Italian Giallo. It's a film of tricks, mirrors, and cheeky mouse-clicks that unexpectedly make an appearance to de-construct the narrative. The circus environment also gives Satzinger a perfect excuse to introduce eccentric characters into the film, which he uses to good effect. Granted - this film doesn't represent the cutting-edge of special effects (and rightly so, as that would otherwise be inappropriate), and it doesn't contain the most convincing of performances either (that'll again not be appropriate for the film) - these imperfections actually add to its unique advantage. It's a quirky film, made with minimal budget, and a degree of wit. The Amazon PAL link below should, by all likelihood, be superior to my unfortunate NTSC letter-boxed edition. Either way, those who like Roland Reber's films will certainly enjoy this quaint little oddity - Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon.de DVD Link [PAL]

 

The Nudity: Dominik Hartel, Julian Stampfer, and Julia Schwarz
Two lengthy scenes in the film feature uninhibited nudity; the first is a love scene when Patrick finally relents to Jannis' persuasion. The second is when Mo, while sharing a shower cubicle with Patrick, learns that he isn't strictly gay after all. She also discovers that someone had locked them from the outside and stolen their clothes. Mo begins to panic because it will be daylight soon, and she has a peculiar ailment that makes her allergic to sunlight.



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Scenes from Ulrich Seidl's Paradies: Liebe 2012

There's something about Austrian directors and their fetishistic delight in dissecting human nature - to tear open layers of our civilised behaviour and scoop out the primeval muck. I'm clearly referring to Ulrich Seidl and his more celebrated compatriot Michael Haneke here. Both are renowned for their uncompromising observations, but unlike Haneke who uses nuanced language, Seidl can be quite in-your-face, unflinchingly gazing at his characters' (and our) every discomfort, twitch, and grimace. "Paradies: Liebe" [Eng. Title: Paradise: Love] is the first in Ulrich Seidl's ambitious trilogy focusing on the concept of paradise; the others being Paradise: Faith (out this Christmas), and Paradise: Hope (2013).

Storyline:
Teresa, a single Austrian mother approaching fifty, arrives in Kenya on vacation. We are soon privy to the fact that one of the main attractions there for overweight middle-aged ladies like Teresa are the young native men loitering near the resort, at first trying to sell them needless trinkets, but something altogether more tempting should the tourists wish, all for a price that isn't as straightforward as back home. Egged-on by her Austrian friends, Teresa embarks on her own quest for 'paradise', which for her is 'unconditional love' - something that she couldn't find in her own country. But while we may be forgiven for thinking that she's exploiting the natives, the men who court her have different ideas - and there will be a symbiosis of sorts in their mutual exploitation.

Provocative as ever, Seidl challenges his viewers with various motifs that not only confound stereotypes, but also explores the dynamics of trade-offs in our quest for happiness. The idea that people who don't conform to archetypal standards of beauty are still sexual beings and will go to great lengths for find fulfilment is illustrated frankly, albeit with a thick air of poignancy. He forces the viewer to accept their imperfections in the same way the protagonist has, and tellingly, starts the film with a long scene where Teresa is enthusiastically supervising a group of adults with downs syndrome at a play area in Vienna. Teresa on more than once occasion admits as such that she is way past her prime, but that doesn't stop her from seeking whatever is missing in her life.

Technically, the film is as accomplished as his previous films like Hundstage and Import/Export. The cinematography is distinctly shot in the style of a documentary - chronicling events rather than intruding. The film also features prolonged scenes of explicit nudity, both male and female, and they're not of the titillating kind - more of the embarrassingly frank. Margarete Tiesel gives it her all with total conviction playing the lead character of Teresa. Most of the scenes in the film were shot without a script, and hence the dialogues are candid, helped by the fact that Ms. Tiesel's male co-stars are locals who're non-actors. This is another gem of a film from Ulrich Seidl, and I can't wait to see the remaining part of his trilogy. Highly Recommended Viewing..!

 

The Nudity: Margarete Tiesel, Inge Maux, Peter Kazungu, and others
As noted above, the film features several frank and explicit scenes of nudity and sex from both female and male actors, even more so the latter.

Magdalena Kronschläger & Anna Rot in “Tag und Nacht” [2010 Austria]

Whether it is about students funding their education or young women consciously making a lifestyle choice, storylines dealing with prostitution never seem to go out of fashion – on contraire, they’re only becoming more popular. Perhaps they should now be classified as a sub-genre in itself! :)

Talented Austrian writer-director Sabine Derflinger's "Tag und Nacht" however explores this cliché-ridden topic a bit further than others, through its emphasis on characterisation rather than merely focusing on protagonists' circumstances or unpleasant experiences. Nothing too dramatic happens to the characters, and neither are their clients and pimps depicted as monsters. She achieves this by forcing through her protagonists a series of dilemmas, and watching them respond.

Storyline:
University friends Lea and Hanna, on a whim (well - a toss of coin), decide to try out prostitution as opposed to waiting tables to make some money on the side. We're led to believe Lea to be the adventurous one, with Hanna being the more circumspect. But as they settle down in their chosen profession, we get to see a different side to each of them, one that fleshes out their characters into individuals charting their respective lives, aided by their own morals and ethics.

In retrospect, "Tag und Nacht" (Day and Night) is an apt title for this film - apart from merely being the name of the escort agency that Hanna and Lea work for, it is also indicative of their character, and choices they make. The film is also beautifully made with some fine cinematography, editing, and sincere performances from all the main cast. Anna Rot in particular is exceptional and convincing as Lea, and apart from being gorgeous, she also reminds me of a young Maribel Verdú. As for Ms. Derflinger, she's done a fine job yet again, but I couldn't help noticing the screenplay being a tad inconsistent in one or two places - some references have loose ends that make little sense and are perhaps unnecessary even. It also makes me wonder whether the DVD I have is indeed the director's approved cut - IMDB states that this film is 101 minutes long, but the main film in my DVD was only 97 minutes without taking into account any extras. Unless IMDB has got it wrong (which it does sometimes), this may well be a truncated version. Despite this, and having seen only one other film from this director to date (Vollgas), I quite look forward to exploring more of Ms. Derflinger's work. Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon.de DVD Link




Compilation:
Nicoletta Prokes, Martina Spitzer, Wolfgang S. Zechmayer, Magdalena Kronschläger, Anna Rot, Thomas Declaude, and Martin Brambach
The nudity in the film, while abundant, are perhaps unavoidable for such a storyline. It also includes at least one instance of explicit male nudity. I've nevertheless kept the graphics relatively low-key.



Scene Guide:

• A new staff member's portfolio being taken by the owner of the escort agency. Played by Nicoletta Prokes.
• Sissi may be the owner's wife, but she's also one of the escorts. Here she's switched by her client midway with an inexperienced but diligent Hanna. Sissi, the client, and blonde Hanna are played by Martina Spitzer, Wolfgang S. Zechmayer, and the beautiful Magdalena Kronschläger respectively.
• Lea meets a friend from back home at a party unexpectedly, and they catch up afterwards. Lea is well played by the stunning Anna Rot.
• Lea visits an older client with some advanced sexual tastes. The client is played by Thomas Declaude.
• Lea brings along Hanna for an appointment with businessman-client Kai, obviously for a threesome. This is a long but visual scene that require little guidance. Client Kai is played by Martin Brambach.
• A beautifully shot underwater scene of Lea with Hanna.
• No nudity, but interesting scene of Hanna satisfying one of her fetishistic customers, to show the audience her willingness to go the extra mile where necessary.
• Lea and Hanna are asked to visit a client at what appears to be a swinger's club.
• Hanna had gotten close to university friend Harald, who begins to love her. But after learning what she does for a living, he confronts Hanna by booking her through the agency in this tense scene.
• Having drowned her sorrows in alcohol and drugs, Hanna is in no state to entertain a 'special guest' of the agency.

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Petra Morzé in "Antares" [2004 Austria]

Götz Spielmann wrote and directed "Antares" in 2004, and while it has received notoriety in some circles, it has been universally applauded as a fine piece of cinema. The film is a result of profound insight into human behaviour coupled with brilliant storytelling and execution. Spielmann uses the mundane cityscape of a Viennese apartment block, picks three couples residing in it, and engages them masterfully as part of his narrative in this gem of a film.

First we are shown Eva's story - she's a nurse, mother, and housewife, who has a totally guiltless affair with a travelling businessman following an earlier one-night stand. Then we follow supermarket assistant Sonja, possessive of her lover, and who feels the need to lie in order to keep him, even if she may have a reason to feel suspicious due to his occasional rendezvous with Nicole, a married woman going through separation. These characters - they all have their flaws and some of them do despicable things, but Spielmann bestows great sympathy towards them and tells their story from their perspective. There are no larger than life characters here - they're ordinary people behaving how ordinary people do, given the circumstances. Yet the film as a whole is extremely absorbing, endearing, and entertaining. Highly Recommended Viewing..!

Unfortunately the DVD by filmmovement from which these compilations were made, is not quite the best transfer - may be there is an original PAL version out there that may do justice to this film. But I've cleaned it the best I could for the sake of this post.




Compilation 1:
Made of two scenes. Eva accompanies the visiting Tomasz - someone she had a one-night stand with in the past, to his hotel room. The sex they engage in is almost mechanical - they get down to business without any niceties or sweet nothings - as if it was just a biological necessity. Eva is played quite naturally and convincingly by Petra Morzé. The second scene is of young Sonja desperately trying to get pregnant with her boyfriend - she had already lied to him that she was one, and needs to start showing some signs. The funny thing is, her boyfriend's enthusiasm about becoming a father only ends up making her more nervous..! Sonja is played by Susanne Wuest.








Compilation 2:
I needn't have to do much editing here as these episodes happen in succession. Eva excuses herself from her husband citing night shift duties to spend more time with Tomasz. They experiment and play out their fantasies without any inhibition. While Tomasz establishes himself as a voyeur, Eva brings out her latent exhibitionist earning into the open. What's so refreshing in these scenes is not so much their shenanigans, but how each of them have become open minded and 'accept' the other without passing any judgement - which would be the case in a formal relationship. Their episodes are organic and so fluid that they seem only natural.








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Irina Potapenko & Ursula Strauss in "Revanche" [2008 Austria]

Götz Spielmann made this beautiful film, "Revanche" [Eng. Trans: Revenge], a thought-provoking observation in love, loss, bereavement, revenge, and guilt. The film won numerous awards and was also nominated for Oscar for best foreign language film  It is also a harmonious film where the direction, screenplay, and main cast combine to produce a deeply moving story. I was equally impressed by the breathtaking cinematography, the crisp editing, clean set design and lighting - it all looks naturally simple - and that's the beauty of it. I am also glad Artificial Eye had produced yet another excellent DVD transfer. I highly recommend this film and DVD.

Set in a sleepy Austrian village, Alex is a handyman at the brothel where Tamara works. They're in love, and desperate to get out of that industry. But they couldn't - Tamara owes her pimp money, and Alex needs some cash to set-up a new business. When the pimp tries to force Tamara into working for some exclusive 'clients', Alex decides to rob the local bank and escape with Tamara. But due to a freak accident, Tamara is killed during the escape. And the rest of the film is of Alex bereaving her death, wanting to seek revenge. Policeman Robert who shot Tamara is struck by a deep sense of guilt. Robert didn't intend to shoot her - aiming for the wheels, he apparently misses his target.



Scene Breakdown:
1)  Tamara, played by the gorgeous Irina Potapenko with Alex, making love in the shower, followed by a discussion in bed about their respective financial needs.
2) Scenes in the brothel, and Tamara is with a client who seems interested only to watch her play with her vagina.
3) Tamara calling home after making love to Alex. Later, after escaping with her belongings, they're in a hotel room and Alex wakes her up with his heist mask.
4) Robert with his wife Susanne, played by Ursula Strauss - they're childless and she wants to adopt a baby, but he has reservations.
5) Alex is seriously considering revenge for Tamara's death, and Susanne, who visits his grandfather now and again invites Alex over one night when her husband is at work - obviously for sex. After some deliberation Alex visits her and asks plainly why she wants a fuck when she's happily married with a nice home et al. He then has totally loveless sex with her in the dark.
6) Susanne and Alex are in bed - he now has to leave - Robert has arrived home early.



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Ekateryna Rak and others - "Import/Export" [2007, Austria, France, Germany]

Ulrich Seidl's beautiful 2007 drama "Import/ Export" is a portrait of two lives - Olga, a Ukranian nurse who travels to Vienna to improve her life, and Paul, an ex security guard who accompanies his stepdad in the opposite direction to dispose off out-of-production junk to remote towns in the Ukraine. The beauty of the film is in its simple narrative - nevertheless borne out of profound insight, Mr. Seidl allows us to watch what is happening and draw our own conclusions - the intelligent viewer with patience will obviously reap greater rewards from this film.



Ekateryna Rak and Others
Olga, played by Ekateryna Rak, supplements her meagre income by joining her friend, Natalya Baranova, at a cyber sex firm - this extended scene is of Ekateryna observing and learning from the other ladies at the establishment, such as Katka Ackermannova, Lucie Radlova, and Zdenka Tothova.

 

Anastasia Sergeyeva

Paul's stepdad hires a prostitute at a hotel, but Paul is reluctant to join his stepdad in making an ass of himself.

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Egon Schiele - Exzess und Bestrafung, by Herbert Vesely [1981 - W.Germany, France, Austria]

Some clips from Herbert Vesely's 1981 biopic "Egon Schiele - Exzess und Bestrafung" [Eng. Title: Egon Schiele: Excess and Punishment]...


It's about the later years of one the most important impressionists of the twentieth century - Egon Schiele, the great man is way high up in my list of finest illustrators ever - his style has influenced so many artists that followed, and I could just as well spend all day simply admiring his works. Here's a few examples of his work for those who don't already know him...





 
 
I'b been searching for this film for a long time, and promptly ordered the DVD when I located a vendor - alas, it was of terrible quality - a VHS-Rip with Greek hard-subtitles. I located another version after and took a chance with a purchase again, only this time, it was an Italian version, with a logo displayed throughout the duration of the film - obviously another VHS-Rip, sold as a DVD..! I finally located a very good quality version online, with the original German audio - for FREE - ironic isn't it..! Anyway, bless the soul who posted it - one could finally see the film in 'almost all' its glory - almost all because some explicit nude scenes had been deleted from this version - which actually doesn't matter at all because the narrative is a lot more coherent than the Italian version I bought earlier.




My Review: As a film production, it scores on many levels - in terms of beautiful cinematography, excellent score, fine acting, and satisfactory albeit unconventional direction - the narrative is non-linear and it requires attention to grasp what's the present and what's the flashback. I was however particulaly impressed by the casting - Mathieu Carrière and Jane Birkin appear to be born for their respective roles - and Ms Birkin especially delivers all the emotions demanded of her character triumphantly (and what a babe she is too..!).

Most of the nudity involved in the film are imagined sequences, either by the protagonists, or the Magistrate prosecuting Egon Schiele for alleged pornography and perversion. He had been accused of displaying explicit images where minors could see it, having sexual liaisons with a fifteen year old girl, and creating perverse art. More than half the film happens while he awaits trial in prison, while his girlfriend/model Vally desperately seeks legal help to get him released. After his acquittal, the film focuses on his marriage to Edith, a beautiful neighbor in Vienna that he falls in love with. This film definitely needs to be made more accessible, not only for good cinema, but also a piece of art-decor history...



Clip 1:
Twenty year old Karina Fallenstein [credited as Nina Fallenstein] plays a fifteen year old teenager Tatjana - the inital scenes involve a rain-drenched Tatjana knocking on Egon's door and asking to be let in - she had run away from home, and wants to stay for the night before setting off to Vienna to live with her grandmother. Jane Birkin, playing Vally - Egon Schiele's lover and former model, objects but later relents. The later scenes are imagined sequences, either by the Egon Schiele character, or the magistrate prosecuting him...


 

 
 
 
Clip 2:
According to the film, Egon Schiele was a close friend of Gustav Klimt, also his mentor, who introduces his special model Vally - Jane Birkin - to Egon. Rest of the scenes in the clip involve Egon reminiscing his lover while in prison.
 

  
 
 
 
Clip 3:
Another imagined scene where the prosecuting magistrate imagines Lini through one of Egon Schiele's illuatrations, posing for the artist - played by the gorgeous Martina Schmatelka.
 

   
 
 

Clip 4:
Some scenes involving Christine Kaufmann, who plays Edith, Egon Schiele's wife, first on their wedding night, and later after he returns from war duty.
 

Clip 5:
I've enhanced and compiled some of the explicit close-up scenes from my Italian version DVD involving Karina Fallenstein that were deleted from the German version - this is only for the curious ones like me, of course..!

32.6 MB:

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