Evelyn Kunneke Movies
- 1996
Militant gay activist Rosa von Praunheim (who once stirred up controversy by publicly announcing the name of closeted German officials) is one of the more colorful figures in German cinema, known for creating decadent films that push and often exceed the boundaries of social convention and taste. This documentary exercise in narcissism represents his autobiography, framed as murder mystery in which the loopy director is the victim. He was shot during the documentary's prologue by a disgruntled audience member during the premiere of his latest film. A female reporter is assigned the odious (at least she thinks so) task of digging up the dirt on his notoriously hedonistic life for a television series. The deeper she digs, the more sympathetic she becomes and eventually she learns a great truth about the director. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1979
- R
The West German Just a Gigolo has little to do with the popular song of the same name. Its central character, played by David Bowie, is a World War I-era Prussian aristocrat. Living by his wits throughout Europe, Bowie uses his sexual prowess with beautiful women (and powerful men) to advance himself. The leering lothario eventually comes to grief in the decadent Berlin of the 1920s. We don't know how he did it, but director David Hemmings managed to corral some of the most stellar sex goddesses in film history to play cameos in Just a Gigolo: Kim Novak, Maria Schell, and even Marlene Dietrich. The film was originally released as Schoner Gigolo, Armer Gigolo. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Bowie, Sydne Rome, (more)
- 1978
When Peter Huber (Peter Kern), the proprietor of a Bavarian corner newsstand, wins a free trip to New York City in a magazine contest, he is overjoyed. Filled with romantic ideas from the movies, his actual encounter with the gritty realities of the Big Apple are sobering. Nonetheless, he is in for the adventure of his life. First, he meets Karola Faber (Barbara Valentin), the German wife of a U.S. G.I. who has found life in the States not all it's cracked up to be: she has left her husband and makes her living through prostitution. Peter and Karola visit the local German emigré community's Oktoberfest, and win the festival's King and Queen crown. Their prize is a cow, which accompanies them on their further journeys in New York City. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Kern, Barbara Valentin, (more)
Faustrecht der Freiheit (Fox and His Friends) was one of the many films in the short, but prolific, career of German auteur Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Fassbinder plays Franz Biberkopf, a financially poor gay man who performs in a traveling circus as Fox the Talking Head. One day, he lucks into winning half a million marks in a lottery. This attracts the attention of numerous swindlers, including Eugen (Peter Chatel), who becomes Fox's lover, gets Fox to spend the money on Eugen, and then dumps Fox mercilessly once the money is gone. Unable to come to terms with how he has been used, and miserable at being in the same place he was before he won the money, Fox commits suicide. The cast is rounded out by El Hedi ben Salem and Brigitte Mira, the stars of Fassbinder's celebrated Ali: Fear Eats the Soul. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Peter Chatel, (more)
