Oktoberfest (4 Stars)

This is a German erotic comedy made in 1974. It's more correct to say that it's a Bavarian erotic comedy. In the 1970's dozens of films were made about Bavarians getting into the most hilarious sexual situations imaginable. Books have been written on the subject, trying to explain the popularity of these films. For me it's simple. To all other Germans, Bavarians are comical: their clothing, their customs and the way they talk. Most Germans find it difficult not to laugh at Bavarians. Sex is something that was an awkward taboo subject in the early 1970's. To make it palatable, it had to be paired with something funny: Bavarians!

The film is about three men from a Bavarian mountain village, Vöglersheim. Georg and Franz are stereotypical Bavarians, down to their Lederhosen (leather trousers). Gino is an Italian immigrant who owns the village's pizzeria. (Most Bavarian sex comedies have an Italian. That's something I can't explain). The three men are bored with their wives, so they decide to go to the Munich Oktoberfest to pick up some women. They justify it by saying it will be good for their marriages. After a few days with other women they'll find their own wives more interesting. Really? I'm not so sure, but it's what they think.

The three men from the small village think that all women in the big city are only interested in sex. They walk up to women and grab their breasts or their butts, and guess what the reaction is? Right. They slap, they scream and they call their husbands.

Only Gino has any luck with the direct approach. Or maybe he just chose the right location. The cinema usher Marianne, played by Ulrike Butz, is so horny after seeing couples make out on the back row every day that she jumps at the opportunity of doing it herself.

Georg and Franz also find girls, but it's not what they think. The girls are prostitutes, so the next day they get a bill for 600 Marks each (more than 800 Euros in today's money). But at least they had a good time.

Now I have to say a few words about the men's intelligence. They tell their wives that they're going to a bowling tournament in Rosenheim, about 50 miles away from Munich. To make their lie sound believable they buy picture postcards of Rosenheim. When they arrive in Munich, they mail the postcards, not considering that the cards will have a Munich post stamp. Doh! Are Bavarians all that stupid? In the films they are. The wives, one of whom works as a taxi driver, drive to the Oktoberfest to look for their stupid husbands.

This is Georg's wife, showing how she treats rowdy customers. Does Georg really want to mess with a woman like that?

I also have to ask why Georg is interested in other women. She looks like the perfect wife to me.

The wives wear dark glasses, so that nobody will recognise them. The mind boggles.

After being caught making out with Gino, Marianne is fired from the cinema. She asks Rosie (on the left) for a job in the brothel. She's accepted immediately. Rosie can see that Marianne is amply qualified for the job.

When the women find their husbands, the film turns into a bawdy farce. They want to sneak into their husbands' beds at night, with the lights out, pretending to be the prostitutes. The problem is that they get the room numbers wrong, so the women get into bed with the wrong men.

This is a delightful comedy that will make you laugh, unless you're a total prude. The sexual situations are very tame by today's standards. I admit, the film is dated, but I'm a big fan of the Bavarian sex comedies. I'm also a fan of Ulrike Butz, who was Germany's most beautiful actress in the 1970's. It's always good to look at her. It's not just her body. Look at her face. She has a happy grin throughout the film. She's enjoying playing the role, and she makes no attempt to hide it. I need to watch more of her films.