The Red Nights of the Gestapo

If, like me, you prefer your Nazisploitation loaded with gore, perversion and nudity, with a generous side order of camp, then you would probably be best advised to goose-step straight past Red Nights of the Gestapo.

Ezio Miani plays Werner von Uhland, an SS Colonel attempting to infiltrate a select group of the bourgeoisie who are known for their dislike of Der Führer. Inviting the seven men to a secret meeting, Werner pairs each guest with a women chosen for her ability to cater for that person's specific perversion (amazingly, each guest seems to have his own unique sexual weakness).

By recording each couple with hidden microphones, Werner hopes to uncover the group's plans to overthrow Hitler's regime, whilst also gathering material for blackmail.

With a script that delves rather too deeply into the political history of the Nazis circa 1941, Fabio De Agostini's movie proves to be more concerned with factual accuracy than in delivering sleaze. Thus, we get frequent extremely dull conversations about the defection of Hess, the progress of the Wehrmacht, and anti-Nazi sentiments amongst the German intelligentsia, and not nearly enough time devoted to the lesbianism, sado-masochism, violence and extreme decadent behaviour that is normally associated with the genre (although a hilarious nymphomaniac and a female Hitler impersonator do try their best to liven up proceedings).

And with the entire movie set in a castle, rather than a concentration camp (like so many other films of its ilk), we don't even get any unnecessarily painful experimentation performed on prisoners. Shame!

Disappointing "Salon Kitty" wannabe WW2 WIP flick. This is Nazi exploitation at its most mediocre. The production values are higher than some of its co-genre (viz Love Camp and SS Camp), but it fails to deliver in most other areas.

If you like full frontal nudity, you wont find much. If you are into jackboot torture, again it is not going to deliver for you. If you really want to see "wimmin who shag in ze name of exposing traitors to ze Fatherland", then you have come to the right shop (again). How many times have we seen this old yarn re-worked and churned out?

Fraid it doesn't work for me any more. Watch the original if you are into this cinematic style...

Really, I don't know what the point is to making these films. This, you'll find in the Adult section of your local video store. S.S. Erotica, we'll call it, but there's nothing erotic to it. Quite a bit of nudity and painfully robotic acting, I was having a few "What the f.ck moments"? It takes it self too seriously, considering it's genre, while it's also un erotic. I actually wandered off a few times, from this boring stiff sex/drama, where a few anti Hitler party are taken out. Hitler's utilized a lot here, where shown a few photos of the beast, we somehow, feel, it's trying to impress, if to make a ligit film. There are some inner amusing moments, though inside I really wasn't laughing, but it was Hitler's admirers, speaking a few wonderful words about the man. I can't believe they let some kids act in this too. Forgettable, all the way. A sleeper. I'm just warning ya. Heil nothing.

At first I didn't believe such a gem could exist. Then, after seeing it a couple of times, I had to admit that the RED NIGHTS OF THE GESTAPO was one of the best films of the genre.

The plot is a little confusing, but the emphasis is given on the directing, the acting and the shocking sex scenes. A nazi officer has to bring the 12 most influent german personalities into a "castle" for the week-end. 12 girls are already there, sexually trained to "entertain" the men. What follows is an orgy where sex and violence are king and queen, and a general atmosphere of spreaded madness. The scenes are powerful, the actresses are perfect, and I can't help but raise a couple of cut thumbs up to Fabio...

"Red Nights of the Gestapo," as it is known in the US, is an unusual example of Nazi-exploitation films. Here the focus is on story rather than smut (sometimes regrettably), thus endowing the film with a certain credibility, even if it may disappoint viewers looking for softcore erotic horror like "Beat In Heat" or "Ilsa She Wolfe of the SS."

Production values are excellent: Cinematography, sets, locations, wardrobe, editing and score all present exceptionally well. Whereas most Nazi-exploitation movies are saddled with nearly all-female casts and endless scenes of lesbianism, "Red Nights of the Gestapo" gives us a (handsome) male lead and several equally handsome male supporting actors.

Boffing is kept to a minimum, sad to say; although there is an early scene where one woman takes on three good looking Nazi soldiers for a wild foursome, the scene ends before the men have a chance to drop their trousers. Not until around the 88-minute mark (in the uncut 110-minute version), do we get a real sex scene, in which one of the Nazi guests plows a prostitute in the castle lobby while a butler holds her in place and a violinist provides background music!

Aside from these two vignettes, there are many mildly risque moments throughout, which amount to little more than PG-13 tease. It's a shame, because with such excellent production values and a (mostly) attractive cast, this could have been the definitive Nazi-exploitation film, had it not pulled its punches.

Well worth seeking out and long overdue for a blu-ray release. Check it out.