The Einstein of Sex

which was another title rosa entertained the possibility of using. when he announced it was forthcoming at a screening in LA I distinctly recall the collective gasp of the public, in anticipation: the subject seemed like the perfect one for rosa... but ... the film turned out nicht so gut, a big disappointment. actually I didn't see the whole thing but only walked out really cause I was visiting a strange city when it happened to stumble upon a chance to see one of its first screenings in the US, in Miami, where winsome elian gonzales was just about to be snatched from his home and riots were about to ensue.my feeling was he rushed into production on this one. it needed more rewrites to be the crowning glory of rosa his fan's tentatively but erroneously anticipated... and I wondered why he turned it over to the writers he chose rather than write it himself.

This is a film that should be seen. It may shock, certainly, but it will enlighten and educate. It is also a part of German history. Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, a Jewish homosexual, set up an Institute in 1921 to research problems concerned with sexuality. This was an unexplored field. People from all over Europe consulted him about their own sexual problems, including the young Austrian Baron Hermann von Teschenberg who became his lover. In 1933 the Nazis destroyed the Institute of Sexual Science. Research papers and museum pieces were lost for ever. Male nudity in this film is acceptable because it is relevant to the subject. The museum is filled with phallic objects carved from ivory, penis protectors from Papua New Guinea, an intriguing masturbation contraption (which perhaps is the fore-runner of the modern vibrator), tattooed testicles belonging to the Chinese emperor's brother and other so-called "sinful objects". All this is portrayed in a clinical and straight forward manner. The good doctor is called upon to do surgery and one can get a bit squeamish when he goes to work on the transvestite Dorchen or the removal of a penis from a pleading hermaphrodite. It seemed to me it was executed with a very quick snip done under the most unhygienic conditions. Some of the other characters worthy of mention are the young Karl Giese (Hirschfeld's lover) who fights a losing battle to protect the Institute from the Nazi madness, and Adolph Brand an important gay right-wing writer who writes extravagant poetry about the physical beauty of German youth. Direrctor Rosa von Praunheim has done a magnificent job in bringing the life and work of Dr. Hirschfeld to the screen. It is a frank and honest approach and it is not without its little touches of humour. This film is worthy of attention. It's one of the most entertaining I've seen for a long time. How nice it is to see something very different. I rank it high on my list of favourites.

Earlier reviewers loved this movie, and if you like what their reviews said about it you'll hate mine.

This movie reminded me of the short educational films they used to show us in primary school in the 1950s, in which the topic was dramatized barely well enough that children could understand it, but not well enough that any adult would want to watch it.

The one I remember most clearly said, in effect, that you'll get tuberculosis if you kiss your grandmother on the lips. I remember that one probably because my grandmother (the only person who loved me) dropped dead (of a stroke, not TB) two weeks after my eighth birthday, and the pain and loss were so great that I'd gladly have joined her.

This movie has the same simplistic, pedantic, preachy tone as those films, and even lower production values. The acting was better in the granny-may-have-TB film. Rosa von Praunheim seems to care about the message only, not about any other aspect of movie-making (like entertainment).

Halfway through the movie, the actor playing Hirschfeld abruptly changes, from hunky Kai Schumann (listed far down in the credits, and not even mentioned on Amazon and other sales or rental sites, even though he dominates the first half of the movie and it's him on the cover) to doughy Friedel von Wangenheim, with this voice-over during the scene change: "My craving for sweets had certain effects on my appearance." That may be either an attempt at humor or a plea to ignore the startling actor switch.

I suspect that Schumann (who has gone on to a fairly successful acting career) cut and ran mid-filming when something better came along. Why else doesn't he share top billing with von Wangenheim? Each played Hirschfeld for half of the movie, and Schumann makes a far stronger impression.

Anyway, if for some reason you want to know about Magnus Hirschfeld and can't be bothered to read, then you may appreciate this move. I had known about it for years before I finally got so desperate for something new to watch that I broke down and rented it. The stupid title and the extraordinarily unappealing black-and-orange cover put me off, and I can't say I'm sorry. I'd be just fine if I'd never seen it.

This film pays long overdue homage to the so-called Einstein of Sex, Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld. Both contemporaries also share German-Jewish Heritage, and tremendous influence on the the 20th century. Dr. Hirschfeld's work, however has just become speakable let alone filmable in the last couple of decades. Rosa von Praunheim, a former underground filmmaker, has been breaking cinematic sexual taboos these past two decades. Von Praunheim's "made in Berlin" avant-gardism gives him much common ground with Hirschfeld. So much so that major European institutions lent their financing to von Praunheim's first mainstream film. In THE EINSTEIN OF SEX, von Praunheim mixes what is really known about Dr. Hirschfeld with actual newsreel footage of the 1910-1934 period, and adds trademark von Praunheim humor to fill in the unknown details. The true to life location shots (those of Berlin, and the Vorpommern Baltic coast in particular)are used to good effect. The result is a crowd pleaser, as the film's ranking in the top ten of audience votes in the recent Sao Paulo Film Festival (see mostra.org) will confirm. That's where I just saw it, so it was no surprise to see it listed on the Festival's top ten audience vote. Many von Praunheim "purists", however, may feel the director sold out to the conventional European film funds, German state sponsorship, and cable TV companies who co-produced the project. More conservative audiences may feel offended by the contents (though quite tame by von Praunheim standards). Nevertheless, the film is legitimized by the appearance of several of Germany's best-known actors in supporting and cameo roles (including Ben and Merrit Becker of the COMEDIAN HARMONISTS), and solid technical standards.

This film, which has the look & feel of a docu-drama with authentic sets, scenery & standout costumes [when needed ;)], strives & succeeds in addressing two areas of socio-political history: human sexuality in general and a full rendering of gay & lesbian characters in popular culture and historic contexts. Rosa von Praunheim presents his characters with seriousness, gentleness & humor in THE EINSTEIN OF SEX, so that we get the idea that "darkness" in life can be confronted in as many hues and shades as comedy, romance & adventure genres. And that darkness is not necessarily a bad thing.

Modern society lacks a serious study of human sexuality, so Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld's story should be a cue for a movement in that direction. Some of the humor in the film is around this very fact - that we giggle at the sight of beautifully crafted male genital adornments from aboriginal cultures, yet we still find it difficult to approach the complexity of our sexual selves with the courage & empathy that Hirschfeld's character does. We will never know the lost segments of his writings & life events, but the fleshed out remnants in this film are an indication that we will not know ourselves truly until we know ourselves wholly and in diversity. THE EINSTEIN OF SEX is also an important work in terms of gay & lesbian visibility on film. Though set in a different time & setting than PRIEST, it will have a similar strong impact on viewers. For anyone who might want to learn more about the distressing effects of oppression on human beings, this is the kind of film I'd recommend and encourage more of from Hollywood-washed artists.