Sex Dream Report (3½ Stars)

This is a German erotic comedy that was released in 1973. It was directed by Walter Boos, who's best known for directing the Schoolgirl Report films. This film follows a similar pattern of short stories separated by interviews on the street. Dr. Heinz Kahlbaum is gathering material for a book on sexual dreams. Together with his assistant Gisela he's standing at Karlsplatz in Munich asking passers by about their dreams. Most of the people he asks refuse to answer, but there are five vignettes based on the replies he receives.

1. The first person to give a detailed answer is the bus driver Willi Wasmuth, played by Josef Moosholzer. He's 35, and his wife Erna is 30. By all accounts, he's an unpleasant person. When he gets home from work he orders his wife to fetch him a beer. No please or thank you. Then he falls asleep in front of the television. He dreams that the weather girl strips naked and seduces him. His wife is so beautiful that I don't understand why he prefers dreams to reality.

2. The second man who answers is Max Gickes, a sculptor. He says that he dreams of owning a harem. Four sexy dancing girls take turns having sex with him, while a fifth fans him to keep him cool. Gisela finds the dream strange, but Dr. Kahlbaum tells her it's a typical male fantasy. Then Max tells them that the dream is based on his real life. He shares an apartment with four women. He sleeps with Anna on Monday, Betty on Tuesday, Cecilia on Wednesday and Daisy on Thursday. This wears him out, so he goes home to his wife for the other three days. Obviously Max doesn't know the difference between truth and fantasy.

3. Another man who gets dreams mixed up with reality is Dieter Haberkorn, a travel agent. Every day he gets a parking ticket from the beautiful traffic warden Monika, played by Ulrike Butz. He tells her that they've had a relationship, but she tells him that he's mad. We see his ridiculous fantasy of them having sex in a courtroom. He really thinks it's happened. He persuades her to go on a date with him, but he insists that she wear her uniform. Or is this yet another dream? I don't know. All I can say is that I'd also dream about any policewoman as beautiful as Ulrike Butz. She was the sexiest German actress of the 1970's. Her career only lasted from 1972 to 1974, during which time she made 27 films.

4. Eugen is a medical student. He marries Franziska, the butcher's daughter, played by the delightful Dorothea Rau. On the wedding night he can't perform – What!!! He can't get it up for Dorothea Rau??? – so she does what any disappointed bride would do: she hits him over the head with a chamber pot and puts him in hospital. While he's recovering he dreams about marrying the nurse who's looking after him. The dream cures him, and he's able to go home to his happy wife.

5. The final interview takes place spontaneously. Dr. Kahlbaum and Gisela visit a restaurant, where they talk to the waiter Tonio, played by Rinaldo Talamonti. He says he's always had a crush on the restaurant's owner, Karla Marquadt. Isn't she a bit too tall for him? After months of dreaming about her they finally got together.

Some report films are better than others, but they're never original. I knew what the final scene would be before I watched it. Gisela confesses that she's been dreaming about making love to Dr. Kahlbaum. She tells him about her dreams and attempts to seduce him. At first he resists. He wants to remain professional, but eventually he gives in. The End.

This isn't one of the best German erotic comedies of the 1970's, but it's amusing and worth watching at least once. I intend to watch more German erotic comedies over the next few weeks. I don't know how many yet. I'll decide as I go along.