Schoolgirl Report 6 (4 Stars)

This is the 6th installment of the culturally important Schoolgirl Report series. No, I'm not being sarcastic. Nobody who studies the German culture of the 1970's can ignore the significance of these films. German teachers in other countries should at least briefly mention the films, if they can do so without too much snickering from the class.

I remember this film fondly since it was the only film in the series that I managed to see in the cinemas. It was released in 1973, but I saw it round about 1980. In those days it was common for cinemas to show old films, either for one day only or for one showing a day for a week. It's a shame this is no longer done. The newest films aren't necessarily the best. It wasn't a sleazy backstreet cinema, as non-Germans might assume; it was a mainstream cinema on Ostendplatz in Stuttgart, a cinema that showed mainly new films alongside old classics like this.

This installment abandons the interspersed street interviews that we were used to from the first five parts. On the other hand, it returns to the Schilleresque pattern of nested stories within stories that we saw in the beginning of the series. It even starts in a similar way to the first film. Achim and Sibille, both 17, meet regularly in the classroom after school to have sex. They're discovered by a teacher "with their pants down", leading to a meeting with the teachers to discuss their fate. In the meeting they tell stories, anecdotes, about what schoolgirls do in and out of school.

1. Achim talks about the heavy petting between boys and girls in class while the lights are out to show films.

2. Achim reminds the class about a recent scandal in the school. A girl called Ingrid fell in love with the French teacher, Miss Lensing. She visits her at home and attempts to seduce her, but Miss Lensing is in love with Mr. Dornseif, the German teacher. As a result of being rejected Ingrid stalks the two teachers, taking photos of them together. Since Mr. Dornseif is married Ingrid tries to blackmail Miss Lensing to have sex with her, but she refuses so the photos are presented to the headmaster. As a result the teachers are transferred to other schools.

3. Sibille tells the meeting how she was raped by two schoolboys who dragged her into the female toilets.

4. Sibille recounts how she first fell in love with Achim when they met in the woods to study.

5. Sibille tells the story of Hans, a boy who had sex with every girl in his class. The other boys are jealous of him and angry because he's also had sex with some of their girlfriends. They gang up on him to beat him up, nothing serious, they just want to knock out a few of his teeth. He runs away from them and falls off a cliff to his death.

Now it's the turn of the teachers to tell stories to the group, and more importantly to us.

6. The first teacher gives a list of statistics which are backed up by brief film scenes.  For those who are interested I quote them in full:

"The Sexual Institute of the University of Hamburg has released the following figures as a result of questionnaires.

Sexual activity now begins three to four years earlier than in the last generation. Girls have their first period when they are 9 years old. At the age of 13 40-60% of boys and 20-30% of girls have masturbated. At the age of 16 it is 80-90% of boys and 30-50% of girls. Almost all boys and 50% of girls say they would rather have sexual intercourse than masturbate because masturbation arouses the emotional need for a partner.

Petting is the playing with the secondary and primary sexual organs without having intercourse. At 13 only 5-9% of children of both sexes have had experience with breast petting. At 15 it is 50%. At 16 it is 70% of boys and 80% of girls. Concerning petting with touching of the primary sexual organs, at 13 2-6% of children have had experience. At 15 it is 50% of boys and 60% of girls. It is noticeable that the percentage of girls is larger. Among those who have not yet had intercourse petting takes place once or twice a month. 60% of boys and 40% of girls have had an orgasm through petting.

At 15 10% of girls and 15% of boys have had sexual intercourse. In certain places it is much more. For instance, in a class of 14-year-olds in a girls school in Rhineland 47 out of 48 girls were no longer virgins. By 16 30% of girls and 35% of boys have had sex. At 17 it is 50% of all young people.

67% of fathers and 41% of mothers do not know that their daughters have had sexual intercourse."

I'm curious what the statistics would be today, almost 40 years after the film was made.

7. In a classroom a short-sighted teacher is giving sex education from a feminist standpoint. While she's speaking the window is being cleaned by the one and only Rinaldo Talamonti. I'll call him Rinaldo because the window cleaner isn't named in the film. Rinaldo climbs in through the window, unnoticed by the teacher. One by one he takes girls behind the cupboards to have sex with them. Finally the teacher mistakes him for a girl and asks him to draw a penis on the blackboard. Unfortunately Rinaldo had forgotten to get dressed after being with the last girl. When the teacher puts on her glasses and sees a naked man in front of her she faints.

8. Marlies is a 15-year-old girl, the daughter of a poor construction worker. Her boyfriend is Herbert, a rich farmer. Her father finds them together naked and threatens to call the police. Herbert offers the father 200 Marks (about $125) to stay quiet. This gives the father an idea. He invites his friends to have sex with her for 100 Marks each. This goes on for months before she finally runs away. Luckily Herbert finds her and tells her he wants to marry her.

9. Lilo is 18 and in love with her sports teacher, Mr. Brinkmann. Evidently the school has a limited budget, because the teachers and the children of both sexes all have to use the same showers. The girls shower first, the men later. Lilo waits in the shower until Mr. Brinkman arrives and has no difficulty seducing him. They then begin a love affair, meeting in secret because he's married. The teacher telling the story says that teachers are at a disadvantage and deserve our sympathy. In all other careers men can meet women at work and have sex, but teachers aren't allowed to. After his wife discovers the affair Mr. Brinkmann decides to break off the relationship. When Lilo refuses he beats her and leaves her to walk home half naked. Luckily Lilo is picked up by a boy her own age on the way home and they fall in love. And they live happily ever after.

Finally we see the resolution of the meeting with the teachers. Achim's mother says she will send her son to a boarding school. The teachers are satisfied that the children will be separated and decide to take no action against Sibille. But the voiceover at the end tells us that the adults, teachers and parents alike, have done everything wrong. If young people truly love one another they should be allowed to have sex, even if it's on the classroom floor. This is the message we're sent home with.