8/10
Balzac, wine and a twenty year old Edwige
20 November 2006
Of the many phases that Edwige Fenech's career has gone through (costume sex capers, Giallo, seventies sex comedy, TV show host and producer), this German/Italian co production fits in the first category. A Count and Countess who's love life has lost most of it's luster are having some guests over to stay. Countess Angini has become obsessed with the writing of Balzac and as her husband Ridaldo fails to grasp it, can only share this obsession with best friend Isabella. Ridaldo's teenage niece Annette is also looking forward to the male guests arriving, and all three women are quite fond of Georg (Sieghardt Rupp) the stable boy (stable man, actually), as they try out a new fad: riding trousers for women.

The final couple to arrive are Felicitas (Fenech) and Emmanuel (Walter Buschhoff). She has grown tired of his philandering, especially when he starts using his considerable charms on Isabella. Just then, Isabella's older husband (a German version of Fernando Rey) unexpectedly arrives (after the entire household has already retired to bed) to stir things up some more. Edwige, who is also quite captivated by her new pair of stretch pants, makes good use of the situation by telling old Fernando about the nude sunbathing expedition the ladies are planned for the next day. This leads to several peeping toms, a stolen horse and prolonged slow motion shots of no less than four lady Godiva's.

Meanwhile, Ridaldo has secretly been reading up on Balzac and asks the ever present Bürgermeister to help him organize a festival in the basement of his castle to celebrate the new wine year. This spectacular feast involves lots of decorations, music, clapping and a masked, but otherwise nude dancer presenting this years potent potable. During the celebrations the guests sneak off one by one to find a new partner of their choosing, all in the spirit of Balzac, of course. To reveal who ends up with whom would be spoiling, as would to say whom was hidden behind the dancer's golden mask, but sufficed to say that when the celebrations have died down, everyone has found love and happiness and the count and countess have renewed their vows for one another.

8 out of 10
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