Tinto Brass scored his first major international success
with this shocking but stylish tale of decadence in the Third
Reich, inspired by a true story.
Madame Kitty (Ingrid Thulin) is the proprietor of one of Berlin's
most luxurious brothels, where many members of the Nazi high
command are her regular customers.
Kitty is approached by Helmut Wallenberg (Helmut Berger),
an S.S. official who orders her to shut down her business
and act as his partner as he founds a new bordello, which
will exclusively cater to the elite of the Nazi Party and
the German military.
Unknown to Kitty, Wallenberg's brothel has been staffed entirely
by women recruited by the S.S. for their loyalty to the Reich,
and each room has been equipped with secret recording devices,
which will allow Wallenberg and his staff to not only gather
blackmail material against troublesome officers, but to discover
who might be expressing disloyal thoughts about Hitler's regime
when their guard is down.
Margherita (Teresa Ann Savoy), a pretty young prostitute working
for Kitty, is especially devoted to both her job and her country,
but when she falls in love with Biondo (John Steiner), a German
officer and frequent customer who has grown disillusioned
with both the war and National Socialism, she discovers the
true purpose of "Salon Kitty" and sets out to destroy
the operation, with Kitty's help.
Both a scandal and a success in Europe, Salon Kitty initially
played the exploitation circuit in the United States in an
edited version titled Madame Kitty, though the shorter version
still earned an X rating.
Cast:
Helmut Berger, Ingrid Thulin, Teresa Ann Savoy, Bekim Fehmiu,
John Steiner, Stefano Satta Flores, Dan van Husen
Director:
Tinto Brass |