Josefine Mutzenbacher - Wie sie wirklich war: 1. Teil

Published anonymously in the early days of last century, the alleged memoirs of Viennese courtesan Josefine Mutzenbacher ("as told by herself") are rightfully considered as classic erotic literature. Erotic, yes, since as soon as a cultural pedigree's attached to masturbatory material – the novel has been attributed to Austrian children's author Felix Salten who wrote "Bambi" and "Perri", both adapted by Disney ! – it turns erotic rather than just plain pornographic. Surely the latter would be a more accurate description for Mutzenbacher's non-stop detailed accounts of amorous exploits, littered with close to 400 (yes, someone actually bothered to count !) synonyms for the male member. Kurt Nachmann's soft-core adaptation from 1970, starring subsequent TV mainstay Christine Schuberth, proved popular enough to spawn an equally successful sequel. When hardcore became legally available and socially acceptable in German-speaking countries, it was time to return to the source for producer Gunter Otto who had been dabbling in saucy sex comedies of the LIEBESGRÜSSE AUS DER LEDERHOSE variety. This time, the concept would sprout wings and soar. Box office was booming. It was as if the porn-hungry public breathed a collective sigh of relief now that their explicit entertainment had been spruced up with elaborate period costumes and the artistic credibility supplied by its liberally adapted literary origins, not unlike the effect the Mitchell Brothers had achieved with their AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A FLEA.

A veteran of simulated sex farces like DIE JUNGFRAUEN VON BUMSHAUSEN a/k/a RUN, VIRGIN, RUN and the Sybil Danning starring DAS MÄDCHEN MIT DER HEISSEN MASCHE a/k/a LOVES OF A FRENCH PUSSYCAT, director Hans Billian (who died a couple of years ago) was already pushing 60 when he instigated a series of intimate cinematic explorations of his gorgeous girlfriend Patricia Rhomberg, then in her early twenties. A dedicated medical assistant who would return to the profession following their break-up, she transcended all possible accusations of nepotism through commanding screen presence and considerable thespian prowess supplementing her ample physical charms. Although she would sadly essay the plum role of Josefine Mutzenbacher only one, supplanted by a variety of dirty movie damsels (amongst whom the delightful Uschi Karnat a/k/a "Sandra Nova" rates as the most memorable) on subsequent sequels, she remains the definitive interpreter of the part for the majority of adult aficionados.

Looking back on a life filled with richly rewarded copulation, fancy prostitute Josefine Mutzenbacher relates her humble beginnings. Watching hunky beer delivery man Horak (beefy blond Siggi Buchner, who would return in several of the sequels and bid his fornication film farewell with Walter Molitor's INSIDE MARILYN in 1985) plow into her inn keeper neighbor Frau Rheintaler, a voluptuous middle-aged blonde familiar from early '70s Tabu loops, stirs hitherto unknown feelings in our wide-eyed 17 year old heroine who quickly decides she must have Horak for herself. He will prove but the first in a long line of casual conquests that take young Josefine to the pinnacle of her profession. Getting a little too close to her precocious stepbrother and supplying early morning relief for lodger Eckhard (Sepp Gneissl, who was in Billian's ROSEMARIES SCHLECKERLAND) gets her into the kind of trouble she has to go and confess to the local priest (former TV thespian Peter Holzmüller, also in Billian's BIENENSTICH IM LIEBESNEST, and fairly obviously body doubled for his sex scene), whose easily ignited passions allow for the obligatory stab at the clergy, common to pornography penned prior to World War II.

The untimely death of her mother leaves Josefine to take her place in the bed of her stepfather, indelibly portrayed by the already mature Frithjof Klausen, who would still turn up a decade later in Michel Barny's TERESA THE WOMAN WHO LOVES MEN ! The build-up to this undoubtedly frowned upon "transgression" makes for titillation of the most exquisite kind, from dad's drunk admiration of the sleeping girl's naked form to furtive caresses and way beyond. Unfortunately for the inter-generational love birds, their new boarder finds out and blackmails them into a sexual free for all with seasoned prostitute Zenzi, a rare hardcore appearance by Marie-France Morel from Jean Rollin's TOUT LE MONDE IL EN A DEUX. It's the latter's chosen career that starts putting ideas in young Josefine's head…

Though sequels would prove progressively lavish in accordance with their impressive box office takes, none of them could convincingly recapture the charm and good-natured depravity of the original. Much of this is down to Rhomberg, who approaches each carnal obstacle on her "road to ruin" with curiosity and infectious enthusiasm. The movie looks good, capably photographed by Otto, but lacks the elaborate crowd scenes that were to become the series' staple ingredient. There's an appropriately jaunty Wiener Kaffee soundtrack by Dave Apfelbaum. Credits are sparse but Josefine's best friend Maresi is played by Birgit Zamulo who was in Johnny Wyder's EIN GUTER HAHN WIRD SELTEN FETT a/k/a ALL AROUND SERVICE and the chubby blond model with the photographer is Christine Szenetra, star of several SCHOOLGIRL REPORTS. The Mutzenbacher series would continue well into the '90s with Otto still churning out modern dress installments, changing the subtitle to WIE SIE HEUTE WAR ("as she would be now"), before turning his attentions towards Johanna Spyri's squeaky clean mountain chick Heidi for the remainder of the last millennium.

I feel that the previous user's comments about this film are without erotic merit. The whole idea of the cast being much older and a little less flattering to look at only add to the lewd-titillating- charm of this fine production. Awesomly rare to find on VHS and sadly enough , the USA print is actually longer then the recently released euro-pal-DVD.Try finding the uncut print in all it's glory under the USA title: Sensational Janine.You might be able to find a collectors DVD-r on ebay ! Good luck in your search as I've only seen one copy (original) in 11 yrs. of scouring ma n pa video stores, most are extinct at this point. This original was the best in a series that ran 3 more sequels, none really capturing the feel of this one!

The movie was originally released in Germany as “Josefine Mutzenbacher - Wie sie wirklich”, and is based on a classic piece of German erotica. It’s the story of the sexual awakening of Josefine Mutzenbacher, but in the English version, she is called Janine.

Janine is played by Patricia Rhomberg. This is the only movie she appeared in which was made available in English. The film is dubbed, but the quality of the dubbing is excellent, and you quickly forget that the actors are not the ones really talking. Miss Rhomberg doesn’t have classic porn star looks, her breasts are lovely but droop slightly, and she has a full bush, but she has a beautiful face with long brown hair, a youthful ass, and she seems to love having sex.

Patricia Rhomberg gives one of the great performances in porn history. If you like watching porn from the golden age, before breast implants, before shaved pussies, and before actresses signed contracts limiting how many sex scenes they would do, then you have to check out this movie.

To read more, see my complete review (including softcore pictures) at AdultDVDtalk.

X-rated "Sensational Janine" is a must-see/must-own for any lover of "old" ('60s/'70s) erotica. It is the best-known (only-known?) film in the USA by talented German director Hans Billian.

It has EVERYTHING (almost): an interesting and followable story supposedly based on the real life of a famous Viennese prostitute (followed by 'Professional Janine,' a classic in its own right, but with a different actress playing Janine) ... a jaw-droppingly beautiful star (Patricia Rhomberg -- would love to see how she turned out in middle age), her ripe body oozing sexuality in every scene ... male actors who look like regular guys (not gym-rat studs) ... brother-sister sex ... stepfather-stepdaughter sex ... landlady-boarder sex ... sex-with-the-horny-bitch-from-the-alley sex ... priest-penitent sex ... take-me-when-I'm-sleeping sex ... threesomes ... foursomes ... voyeurism ... masturbation ... light S&M ... hand-jobs ... blow-jobs ... lingerie modeling ... in fact just about every kind of sex except anal and animal. Gee, I wonder if Russ Meyer had a hand in making this?

Production values are high, visibility very good, and the pacing and editing commendable. There is wit and snap to the dubbed dialog. Ex: Janine is spying on her mother and a boarder who are shtumping.

Mother: 'We must hurry. Janine will be home any minute.'

Boarder: 'I'm sure Janine knows what it's all about.'

Mother: 'No, I'm sure she's a virgin.'

Janine (to herself): 'Not for long, Mother. I can tell you that.'

As mentioned by another reviewer, the women are refreshingly all-natural, with unshaved bodies. Everyone in the film seems to be enjoying with abandon the greatest gift Mother Nature has bestowed. Rhomberg is so beguiling and charismatic that I'm sure she could have been a star in mainstream films here and overseas if she had been so inclined.

"Sensational Janine" truly is a feel-good movie that some connoisseurs of erotica consider the best adult feature film ever made.

Outstanding European XXX tells the early years of Josephine Mutzenbacher (Janine in US version), Viennese courtesan of c1890. Here she starts off as mischievous virgin and never does quite reach pro ranks, with in medias res ending that sets up the sequel. The story falters a bit here and there, but lead work by Patricia Romberg is completely winning. She seems to be having a good time throughout and is perhaps the most adorable hardcore starlet of all time.

Porn sequences are shorter, and more numerous, than in the average US film, and are well staged by director Hans Billian. Several sequels have been made but all are inferior to the original, not least because Rhomberg did not appear in any of them.

Biggest drawback is that many of the cast are unusually *old* to be working in porno and are not particularly attractive. Janine's mother and stepfather, who both have several XXX scenes, appear to be in their 50s. The priest who hears Janine's confession (there is a touch of anti-clericalism here) looks even older, though it's not clear how much of his own stuntwork he actually does, due to editing. Most of the featured males have the mien of drug-dealing pimps.

Film would have been much more enjoyable had the knockout Romberg been teamed with a cast more on her own physical level, but she does keep that sweet smile shining throughout. Even dubbed, as here, she's a total charmer and is enough reason all by herself to watch this film.