Reclaiming the word vice as a glorious vision splendid , Anita (subtitled Dances of Vice) is a triumph of pleasure and madness over the restraints of society. The film traces the claims of a woman named Frau Kutowski - imprisoned in an institution - to be the lush, sexually scandalous, famous nude star of the early twentieth century Anita Berber. Its an eruption of a movie, flicking between the dour black and white present and the fantastic colour of the past (an interesting reversal of the flashback device). In a neat twist the past is populated with figures tending Kutowski in the present (the nurse is Anita in the past, the doctor is her gay suitor ). This is an inventive and liberated movie offering a dazzling array of colour, costumes and sets along with sexual displays and lewd nude dancing. When Sebastian does his nude dance its an eyeful indeed! This is a great film from the noted political animal and longtime activist Rosa Von Praunheim. There is also a documentary on Lottie Huber available - she plays Frau Kutowski - which is worth seeking out.
Review of Anita: Dances of Vice
