Elsa Fräulein SS

The Nazi sexpolitation film was one of the most tasteless genres in film history. This is is one of the most palatable entries because it was obviously inspired by Tinto Brass' "Salon Kitty" and, like that film, focuses on German girls working as prostitutes in "joy division"-type Nazi brothels as opposed to Jewish girls working as sex slaves or being tortured to death in extermination camps. It's also a French production rather than an Italian one, so it's not particularly graphic (at least as far as the violence goes). Unfortunately, since it's a cheap-jack Eurocine production it's not particularly good either. It even laughably tries to incorporate actual WWII footage into its ludicrous plot.

This is basically the same movie as Eurocine's earlier "Hell Train". It involves a brothel on the rails that is being used to ostensibly to service war-weary officers, but actually to spy on them (a la "Salon Kitty")in case they say something against the Fuhrer. Naturally, a lot of them do--treason I guess is a good subject for post-coital pillow talk--and they are taken off the train and summarily executed. Malisa Longo plays the evil Nazi madam of the brothel, Elsa. Patizia Gorzi plays the spy who steals Elsa's man and undermines her operation.

Naturally, this is not in the class of "Salon Kitty" and (for better or worse) really doesn't begin to compare to the more infamous Nazi death camp movies. It is a minor improvement over "Hell Train" mainly because Longo is far more attractive than Monica Swinn, the villainess in that one, and Patrizia Gorzi gets a lot more naked than Sandra Mazurowsky, her counterpart in "Hell Train" (there's one especially memorable scene of her being tied up naked and very gently whipped). Fulfilling the porno skank quota, French hardcore star Claudine Beccairie appears in in a cameo role (as she did in "Hell Train"). And if you look closely, you might spot Jess Franco-regular Pamela Stanford and Eurocine-regular Nadine Pascal in the supporting cast. It's not a good movie by any means, but at least you probably won't need to take a long, hot shower when its over.

Elsa Fräulein SS was very likely shot on a shoestring budget, which is a real pity because the story definitely had something going for it. The war is turning on Germany, and Hitler decides to send a train of pleasure to the eastern front. Cunningly, it's actually a spying mission on officers who are suspected of being disloyal to the regime. Off course these are to be executed on the spot, without any form of trial or remorse being shown.

The premise could have made for a dark, grim exploitation movie with a message. However what we do get is relatively mild in abuse and violence, which makes it all rather tame (if not lame). Yes there is nudity to be seen, and some scenes are quite brutal but it never gets to a point where it is really upsetting.

People have vowed for a remake, which should then focus on the plot planned by Liselotte in my opinion. As she gains support against Elsa, we should be in for a much better finale than the film actually has now.

Set during World War II, the action in this one takes place on board a train populated by young women forced into prostitution by their Nazi captors. An evil dominatrix overseer - the Fraulein of the title - surreptitiously tapes the conversations of the Nazi men who visit the girls, taking advantage of them opening up in these private moments. In this way she can entrap those disloyal to the Reich and have them taken out and executed.

Fraulein Kitty is another film which made up the short-lived Nazisploitation sub-genre which existed primarily in the late 70's. Most if these movies came from those purveyors of good taste the Italians but this was one of the few that was of French origin. It was produced by cheap-jack exploitation studio Eurociné who knocked out a variety of low-budget flicks of various kinds. With this one, while they have definitely produced a sexploitation film, it is most definitely very mild by Nazisploitation standards. Most of the ones I have seen are quite monumentally out-of-order to a degree that often boggles the mind. Of course, this makes them somewhat interesting curiosity pieces nowadays. Aside from a distinct lack of graphic violence, the main clue as to why this one is decidedly less offensive in nature is simply due to the fact that the victims here are the Germans themselves rather than the - usually (naked) female - inmates of concentration camps. Admittedly it does focus on a bunch of female prisoners who have been forced into train-based prostitution but for a Nazisploitation effort this is dealt with in an almost tasteful manner. Okay, these things are all relative you understand – it's still the kind of idea that film-makers from the present day wouldn't touch with a bargepole, which, as I said before is sort of what makes this most wilfully tasteless sub-genre so fascinating. To be absolutely honest, though, I actually didn't mind the lesser level of sleaze in this one and thought it made a bit of a change to watch one of these flicks without the associated squirm moments. Zis is good, ya?

A train run by Elsa, a sadistic female SS officer (Malisa Longo) and former prostitute is filled with protstitutes that travels around to serve the German army on leave.

A classic Nazisploitation movie that is also known as FRAULEIN DEVIL or CAPTIVE WOMEN 4 that exploits the success of the more stylish SALON KITTY (1976) with also a hint of the ILSA films about it. The beautiful Longo shows off her body at every available opportunity with plenty to please BDSM fans. As a film it is dreadful, but remains an erotic classic with plenty of admirers.

The featured video trailer on this page claims it is from ELSA, FRAULEIN SS (which stars Malisa Longo and Patrizia Gori) but it is NOT. It is from HELL TRAIN, starring Monika Swinn. Whoever put the title on the trailer is mistaken.

The movies are similar, but ELSA (a.k.a FRAULEIN DEVIL) is superior to HELL TRAIN, largely because Ms. Longo and Ms. Gori are much easier to look at than Ms. Swinn.

ELSA seems better photographed than HELL TRAIN also.

Patrizia Gori and Malisa Longo play similar characters in SHE-WOLF OF SPILBERG.