Eight Miles High (4½ Stars)

The true story of German supermodel Uschi Obermaier, based on her autobiography. I'm not sure what the significance of the English film title is, since both the original film and the biography are called "Das wilde Leben", i.e. "The wild life". Maybe it refers to how high she supposedly soared in her career. Or maybe it refers to her excessive drug consume. I say "supposedly" because at the height of her career between 1968 and 1973 her wealth never reached the heights of her fame and notoriety.

To summarise her life in a few words: Uschi was born in Munich in 1946. In 1968 she was discovered by a photographer in a club and modelled frequently for a new magazine called Twen, mostly naked. She first joined a Munich commune (not mentioned in the film), then later moved to Berlin to become a member of Germany's most famous commune, "Kommune 1", which was conceived as an experiment in true Communism, including free love and sharing all property. She had affairs with Jimi Hendrix and Mick Jagger, but she describes Keith Richards as one of the few men she has ever truly loved. She "dropped out" and spent years travelling in a bus through Asia and South America with the Hamburg businessman Dieter Bockhorn, who she finally married in India. After her husband's death, thought by many to be suicide, she settled in the USA and became an American citizen. She now designs jewellery.

The film is interesting and entertaining, though it doesn't show much of her modelling career, which is what she was most famous for. In the early part of the film we just see occasional photoshoots as if it was something she just did "on the side". The film's casting is good, except for the choice of the Swedish singer Victor Noren to play Mick Jagger; we would never recognise him as Jagger unless he introduced himself.

Let's go through the claims on the English poster above.

Was Uschi a revolutionary? Not really. She lived in communes because she enjoyed music and the party life. She had no particular interest in Communism or any other political ideology. She was an embarrassment to many of the other commune members.

Was Uschi a supermodel? That depends on your definition of the word. Usually a supermodel is a woman who works for the fashion industry. She did do fashion shoots in the later part of her career, but primarily she posed nude. It was all about displaying her body, not the clothes she might or might not have been wearing.

Was Uschi a groupie? Yes. Sort of. In the Munich commune she got to know the group Amon Düül and made recordings with them despite having no musical talent, as she openly admitted. Later on the (more successful) Amon Düül II split off from them and moved to Berlin to join Kommune 1. Uschi was always surrounded by music and musicians, and she loved the lifestyle. She soon met Mick Jagger, having a brief affair with him before becoming more involved with Keith Richards. Was she a woman who threw herself at musicians for the music's sake, or did she truly love them? That's something only Uschi and those who know her best can answer.

Was Uschi an icon? Definitely! She was a household name in Germany in the 60's and 70's. Some of her photos are still known today. While she was touring other countries in her bus German photographers pursued her relentlessly.

Is the film worth watching? Yes, even if you've never heard of Uschi. She's a very likeable, though superficial person. In the film she seems like a naive little girl caught up in a whirlwind, trying her best to have fun while never understanding what the people around her wanted. This is a better film than the American equivalent "Gia".