Salon Kitty - *

Directed by Tinto Brass, Starring Helmut Berger, Teresa Ann Savoy, Ingrid Thulin. World Cinema, Drama, 2011 (Original 1976)

Released in the UK on BLU-RAY (£19.99) by Argent Films on 30th May 2011.

Nazis, an odd sexual gymnastics scene in a gym and even a midget has been thrown into the mix here when we delve into the murky world of the Nazi Party. Originally Release CUT in 1976, Tinto Brass’ Controversial SALON KITTY is being released for the first time Un-cut in the UK on Blu-ray with over 20 minutes of previously unseen and quite explicit scenes which have never been heard in English (these have been subtitled).

Based on true events, SALON KITTY takes place in 1930’s Berlin at the very start of the Second World War, SS Officer Helmut Wallenburg (Played by Helmut Berger – GODFATHER 3) instructs his men to find the perfect girls for an elite Nazi brothel for the high ranking officers of the Third Reich named Salon Kitty. To make sure that every officer’s most perverse needs are met Wallenburg forces twenty Beautiful and politically loyal women into rigorous and extreme sexual training. These women must be prepared to perform some of the most extreme acts imaginable whilst holding onto the strict Nazi ideals. What the Girls and their new found customers don’t know however is that they are being used as bait to whittle out traitors of the Nazi party. However Wallenburg , who’s need to dominate gets stronger, uses this Intel for blackmail to help him rise in the ranks of the Third Reich.

One of the prostitutes, Marguerite (Teresa Ann Savoy) however finds out the truth behind the brothel when her love, a soldier with the German army, is killed for tell her that his plans to leave the Nazi regime. With help from Madame Kitty Marguerite plans her revenge on Wallenburg.

SALON KITTY is a raw and very explicit look at the erotic and fetishistic side of the Nazi party in this gritty drama. You can see why a lot of the scenes were cut; SALON KITTY has some pretty odd scenes. For example near the start of the film a selection of girls and various male soldiers have to go through a bizarre sexual gymnastics display which was previously cut from the 1976 original.

In my opinion the whole film could of worked well as a serious drama without the graphic sex, however this isn’t the case. There is a montage style scene about midway through with the girls trying being made up for their first evening where a few on the girls are trying on pubic wigs, which was a very odd thing to watch as a whole and even kinky bondage scene involving a giant dildo which is just weird by all accounts. As a film maker Tinto Brass (who was more famous during the 90’s for his Erotica films such as BLACK ANGEL and PRIVATE) has got a lot of skill which you do feel throughout the film, but the acting I thought was a little wooden but in all honesty I wasn’t expecting much.

With misplaced humour and some sexually explicit scenes SALON KITTY isn’t really a major hit with me, as I like my war dramas a little more straight laced. For fans of erotic films then yeah it would probably appeal to them more.

Mark Goddard.