Ernst Hofbauer Movies

Even after years of such films as Rasputin and the Empress and Rasputin: The Mad Monk, the long-awaited Russian film Rasputin (aka Agoniya, which translates to Agony) manages to find freshness and nuance in a familiar story. Alexei Petrenko stars as "mad monk" Rasputin who insinuates himself into the royal court of Czar Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra by seemingly curing crown prince Alexei of his hemophilia. Rasputin's power and despotism grows, as does his capacity for liquor and sex. When a group of nobles set about to assassinate Rasputin, they find that the job is a daunting one: it takes poison, stabbing, gunshots, beatings and finally drowning to eliminate the apparently invulnerable "holy man." Director Elem Klimov took a "docudrama" approach to Rasputin, interspersing color reenactments of historical events with simulated black-and-white newsreel footage. He completed the film in 1975, intending it to be part of the upcoming 60th anniversary celebration of the Soviet Revolution. The Soviet officials declared the film "worthless" and consigned it to the shelf. It was finally shown at the 1981 Moscow Film Festival, then disappeared from sight again, resurfacing internationally in a severely edited version in 1985. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A foreign film of obscure origin, Office Girls doesn't pretend to be anything other than a sexploitationer. Karin Field and Emely Reuer are among the office "help", whose extracurricular duties go far beyond fetching the boss a cup of coffee. The dialogue is on the level of "Won't you make yourself comfortable?" "Do you mind if I slip into something more comfortable?" and "Oh...oh....OHHHHH!!!!" One suspects that most of the lines were made up as the actors went along. Oh, well, at least Office Girls delivers what it promises. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Secrets of Sweet Sixteen is the sort of fare that used to go directly to drive-ins (remember those?). The story, what there is of it, concerns soft-core hijinks in high school. Since legalities must be observed, the girls in the cast are older than they pretend to be. Some of them look like 16 going on 35. Suzie Atkins heads the cast in this wish dream for middle-aged males. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

"Report" is a thin pretext for a type of loosely structured pornographic film made in Germany in the late '60s and early '70s. Here, the "report" is about the holiday sexual antics people indulge in. One segment has a father, his wife and their daughter leaving separately for their vacations, only to find that they have each booked into the same cabin of a sex resort. This pornographic film has explicit depictions of sexual activity, and full frontal nudity. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

The sexy hit that set the box office ablaze back in 1970 while launching an entire series of erotic exploitation films tells the episodic tale of an eighteen-year old student called before the "Parent's Association" to defend her lusty ways, and the curious manner in which one board member tries to defend her lascivious exploits. When a sexually adventurous teen seduces someone during a school outing, her actions spark outrage among the uptight faculty members. Though the majority of board members want to have the girl severely disciplined for her wanton display, one sympathetic soul counters that such behavior isn't entirely unheard of, and even sites a number of similar examples he has encountered in his practice. Before the session is over, the board is confronted with the tale of a young girl who seduces her stepfather, an acrobat whose relationship with her coach carries over from the gymnasium to the locker room, and a trio of young beauties who make waves with a handsome lifeguard at the local pool. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

In this espionage drama, two FBI agents are on the trail of smugglers who have been selling electrical equipment to the enemy. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

A horrible and bloody Indian raid on a small town sends the townspeople to the local fort for help and protection. With only a handful of men left in his command and his hand tied by massive Army red tape and regulations, the Captain of the fort enlists the aid of frontiersman Clint
McPhearson (played by Brad Harris) to help him figure out why the Comanches are on the warpath. It turns out that the Indian leader Black Eagle is reluctantly sending his people in battle to revenge the deaths caused by a renegade marauding band of fake soldiers. ~ Cub Koda, Rovi