Eight Miles High (4½ Stars)

True Stories #12

Name: Uschi Obermaier

Lived: 24 September 1946 – still alive

Film dates: 1968 to 1984

Film made in 2007

First of all, I need to make an apology. I'm not consistent when I write about German films. Sometimes I use the original German title. Sometimes I use the English title, if the film was released in English speaking countries. Sometimes I use my own literal translation of the German title. This makes it difficult for anyone looking for the review of a particular film in my list.

I'll name three examples, starting with this film: the original title is "Das Wilde Leben". The literal translation is "The Wild Life". It was released in America as "Eight Miles High".

"Schulmädchen-Report" was released in America as "Confessions of a Sixth Form Girl", but I used the literal translation "Schoolgirl Report".

"Frau Wirtin hat auch eine Nichte" was released in America as "House of Pleasure". The literal translation is "The innkeeper also has a niece", but I used the original German title.

There's no system to which of the three alternatives I choose. I just pick the one that seems to be the most appropriate. 

Uschi Obermaier was a young woman who lived with her parents just outside Munich. She had a dull job and a dull family. It's the sort of life that 90% of the population has. What made her different was that she had outstanding beauty. She was discovered while dancing in a Munich discotheque. A photographer took a few candid photos of her that appeared in the magazine Twen. This was followed by nude photos, published first in Twen, then other magazines. She was on the way to becoming a famous glamour model.

Uschi left home and moved into the infamous Berlin commune, Kommune 1. She had no interest in politics, and she even had her doubts about free love, but she stayed because she fell in love with the commune's spokesman – I shouldn't say leader – Rainer Langhans. Whenever there was a demonstration, the press took photos of Uschi Obermaier, which angered the other commune members who were serious about promoting anarchy. Eventually she moved out, because she objected to Rainer having sex with other women.

The first big change in Uschi's life came when she met Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones. In later years she said he was the only man she ever loved. After a brief affair with Mick Jagger, she decided Keith was the man for her. The second big change was when she met Dieter Bockhorn, a nightclub owner in Hamburg, who tirelessly pursued her.

Uschi gave up her career to go on tour with the Rolling Stones. The problem was that it was too dull for her. "Every day is the same. Concert, Limousine, Hotel". She needed excitement more than she needed love. She went back to Hamburg to see Dieter. Together they travelled in a camping bus to India, a trip that lasted for years. That was the wild life she was looking for.

In an Indian province a priest was amazed to see that Uschi looked exactly like a statue of Kali. The severed head also looks like Dieter, although that wasn't mentioned in the film. Dieter and Uschi were invited to meet the local leader, the Maharani. When Dieter said they weren't married, the Maharani organised a wedding for them, complete with horses, elephants, an orchestra and a procession through the streets. It was a surreal fairy tale wedding, the type reserved for Indian royalty.

Things might have gone well for the couple, but when they travelled to Mexico they bumped into Keith Richards. It wasn't a coincidence. He was due to get married, and he wanted to see Uschi one last time before his wedding. Dieter was fiercely jealous. He knew that Keith was the first man in Uschi's heart. He drove away on a motorbike and crashed head on into a truck. It was suicide, although Uschi never accepted it.

It's wrong to call Uschi polyamorous. She loved one man but married another. That was her tragedy. She never married again.

"Eight Miles High" is a gloriously colourful film. Has any woman ever had such a variety of experiences? It's like she had a dozen lifetimes. It was truly a wild life.

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