I say that Salon Kitty isn’t comparable to anything else
because it really isn’t. The closest thing is of course The Night Porter, which
is another Naziploitation drama and shares a similar almost art-house style. This
is different from more grindhouse type Naziploitation movies like Ilsa: She
Wolf of the SS, which simply use Nazi’s as an excuse for gratuitous nudity and
violence. That being said, Salon Kitty isn’t afraid to shed some blood, and
shows more skin than a lorno. In the end, when it comes to writing a review, I
am unable to compare it to anything else I have watched nor grade it on the
same scales. Would I say that Salon Kitty is a well done and important movie? Yes.
Is it entertainment? Only in its portrayal of mankind’s perversions.
Salon Kitty is based on a brothel of the same name, which
was run by Kitty Schmidt before the Second World War. On the outset of the war Reinhard
Heydrich decided to infiltrate the brothel with Nazi spies, who would listen to
the pillow talk of selected military and diplomatic guests to ensure their
allegiance to National Socialism. Instead of infiltrating however, Walter Schellenberg
decided to take it over, and arrested Kitty. Kitty was then faced with the
choice of cooperating with the Nazi’s or be sent to a concentration camp. So,
returned to running the brothel, this time with 20 special girls, Berlin prostitutes
who had been recruited and rigorously trained as spies, who would be shown to
selected clientele which used the codeword. The girls would file reports of every
encounter, but unknown to them or Kitty, the entire place was wired for sound
and monitored that way as well. Over the years, Salon Kitty unveiled many
traitors, but eventually fell into disuse, after it was bombed during the war.
A year later, the Salon was abandoned by the Sicherheitsdienst, and while the
20 girls remained with Kitty the operation ended.
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| The guy on the left has one volume when speaking english. Yelling it. |
Now, Salon Kitty stays rather true on most of its basic
facts, changing some names here, and altering things a little there. The
biggest change is of course the ending, which doesn’t simply drizzle out like
in history. They make sure to pick a more dramatic ending that should satisfy
the audience, although it is not the U.S. pleasing ending in which American
somehow destroy everything yet save everyone. One of the best aspects of Salon
Kitty is it is an Italian production with director Tinto Bass. Originally
filmed in Italian, I watched the English dubbed version. However, I watched the
director’s cut, with the full 133 minutes of footage, including all cut scenes,
meaning that I had a few which were only in Italian. The thing about this being
a foreign movie, particularly from Italy is that we don’t have the same godly
American versus evil incarnate Nazi feel. There is actually no parties involved
in Salon Kitty than the Nazi party themselves, but there is some division
amongst them. In the end, it is rather hard to figure out who was ultimately
the worst, as it seems that Hitler himself doesn’t sit at the top of the list,
although he isn’t really involved in anyway. Either way I’d say that the aspect
of Nazi internal struggles is quite interesting and unique.
I’ll also give it to Tinto Bass that he really had some nice
sets. There is probably some set designer I should actually be thanking, but I
don’t feel like digging his name up. Eitherway, I’d say that the movies sets
are excellent, they are all extremely lavish and drip with the decadence that
the Nazi elite would undoubtedly have. The brothel is filled with radiant white
everywhere, as is Wallenberg’s mansion palace, which is covered in fur rugs,
white marble and everything you would imagine in a palace. This sums it up well.
“The film is atmospheric and the sets (by Ken Adam, famous for his Bond creations)
are excellent. However, there are too many musical interludes for my taste.
It's like "Cabaret" on acid.” (DVD Connoisseur IMDb) To fit perfectly
with that is of course the wardrobe for the movie. While, there is a lot of
simpler suits and the like (I can’t judge a suits value) there is also some
extremely lavish costumes. The opening seen features Kitty dressed in a costume
that is half woman in a white dress and man in a tuxedo, the act to go along
with it is quite well done, if her singing leaves something to be desired. The
most notable achievement of the wardrobe however is Wallenberg. The man is
wearing some of the most insane yet lavish costumes ever. Whether it be his
swastika embroidered scarves, which make him look like the pope or a bishop or
something, or his god damn Nazi flag cape. I mean the guy makes one hell of a
Nazi party fashion statement. Salon Kitty is nearly the epitome of Nazi decadence,
and yet I don’t imagine its portrayal is at all inaccurate.
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| The bedazzled swastika is courtesy of some 6 year old girl. |
Of course, to contrast the lavishness of the Nazi elite is
the dark perversions which this movie so starkly throws at us. First off, this
movie easily sets a record for most male genitalia I’ve ever seen on screen,
but also the most explicit sex in any movie that is not pornographic. While,
the unrated directors cut I watched had restored a few of the more graphic and
perverse scenes that had been cut earlier, even the cut version might have been
enough to cause a kerfuffle at the time of release. Since then however, a number of
scenes of debauchery (that was the word I was looking for) have been added,
with everything from orgies, to the infamous cell scenes, which many people
seem to have a problem with. Animal lovers haven’t been left out however, as
Bass manages to fit in some scenes of real pigs being butchered. Now, those who
aren’t familiar with exploitation cinema, or those who detest it may wonder why
such dark and perverse movies should ever be made. However, movies such as
Salon Kitty represent an important part of cinema in that they weren’t afraid
to push the bounds of censorship or public taste, and for that, they should not
be burned or cut down. While, this movie still may be extreme today, it
undoubtedly helped to push the boundaries of cinema to where they are today.
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| Between scenes of sex and parties we get: Frolicking in the meadow. |
Overall, Salon Kitty marks a important piece of boundary
pushing cinema, as well as giving a rather unique portrayal inside of one of mankind’s
darkest periods. While, it may be a bit long, and may have delivered a stronger
point if slimmed down, Salon Kitty is a movie that could never fail to have an
impact on the viewer. Even today, this piece of Naziploitation would not be something
to recommend to just anyone, but if you can watch this and both feel disgusted
and yet feel you learned something good for you. While, many of cinema’s
greatest masterpiece are being preserved today, it would be a shame to see
lesser known movies, such as Salon Kitty get lost in the past. The Blu-Ray
transfer however is very well done, and if Naziploitation that isn’t as
mindless as Ilsa interests you, check this out.
Link:
Salon Kitty IMDb
Link:
Salon Kitty IMDb
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