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Released by: Impulse Pictures
Released on: 9/27/2007
Director: Ernst Hofbauer
Cast: Friedrich Vun Thun, Christine Snyder, Rosl May, Karin Gotz
Year: 1971
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The Movie:
When the first Schoolgirl Report film proved to be box office gold, it could only stand to reason that a sequel would follow and thus was born the towering cinematic achievement that is Schoolgirl Report #2: What Keeps Parents Awake At Night? For those unfamiliar with the first entry in the long running series of German softcore sexploitation/mondo films, essentially the films proport to be somewhat serious psychological exposes on the randy behaviour of what was at the time the current generation of young ladies growing up in Germany. This first sequel essentially delivers more of the same.
Frederick Von Thun once again hosts the film, starting things off with an introductory speech that attempts to put what we're about to see into some sort of bullshit scientific context, claiming that the first film did so well that they simply had to bring us more, basing the movie on the letters that they'd received from concerned parents and educators who had seen the film and felt compelled to write in and share their own saucy tales.
From there we're launched head first into nine reenactments that show us what happened in the letters that Von Thun supposedly received. The nine vignettes are quite varied. The first tells how a male teacher is blackmailed by a few of his female students until ultimately he decides to kill himself. The second tale revolves around a teenage boy whose voyeuristic tendencies land him in some hot water. Story number three introduces us to a pair of girls who are apprehended for shoplifting who decides to make up a sob-story in hopes of manipulating the cops. The fourth tale shows us the sad story of a man who is replaced when he can't get it up for his lady friend. The fifth story is a grim one as it details the drugging and raping of a few girls by a pair of hoods who hang out in the forest while the sixth story lightens the mood considerably by detailing the exploits of a nude model whose motive for her bold ways is to pay for a fancy new wig. The seventh story shows how a girl who loses her virginity quickly develops a taste for carnal encounters and craves more while the eighth shows how a saucy student seduces an older and wiser math tutor. The final story revolves around a young couple who wind up being coerced into marriage when an unexpected pregnency arrives.
Of course, this being a Schoolgirl Report film, in between vignettes we're treated to some amusing 'man on the street' interviews in which the filmmaker's supposedly convince Joe and Joanna Sixpack to give their thoughts on promiscuity problems to the camera.
What makes the movie interesting isn't the supposed psychological examinations nor is it the plentiful amount of naked ladies on display (some of whom are supposed to be as young as 15 but few of whom look younger than 30!). Instead, Schoolgirl Report #2 works as an ecclectic time capsule of sorts. The film isn't particularly well shot or edited and the minimalist soundtrack adds very little but the film doesn't rely on production values so much as exploitative content to sell itself and it's this attitude coupled with the very 70s fashions and outlooks that give the film its charm. It's also got a fairly thick 'what the Hell?' streak running through it. Where the first film was primarily playful and sexy, this time around the filmmakers do take on more challenging subjects by dealing (not very effectively, mind you, but it's the thought that counts) with unwanted pregnency, suicide and rape. This gives it a very uneven and flat out strange tone that contrasts and completely clashes with the rest of the film - in short, the movie is a trainwreck. It's a completely enjoyable, campy, semi-sexy trainwreck but a trainwreck never the less. This results in a film that's a lot of fun to watch, but painful to think about.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Impulse's 1.66.1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is pretty decent even if it isn't completely pristine. A fine coat of natural film grain is present throughout the film as are some occasional instances of really minor print damage in the form of specs and tiny scratches. None of this is particularly distracting but it is there. Color reproduction looks a bit faded but is otherwise okay while the black levels are closer to grey at times. Detail is alright for the most part, but it won't blow you away.
The German language Dolby Digital Mono track, which comes with optional English subtitles, has a little bit of background hiss here and there but you probably won't notice it unless you're specifically listening for it. Aside from that, this is a decent, well-balanced track that delivers completely audible dialogue and a nice score.
Like all of the other releases so far in this line up, the only extras are a static menu screen and chapter selection. Aside from that, this DVD is barebones.
The Final Word:
A significantly stranger film than the one that came before it, Schoolgirl Report #2 is a very ecclectic film that bounces from sexploitation to melodrama to slapstick to biography and back again a few times during its running time. To call it quirky would be an understatement. Impulse's DVD is, as is their norm, devoid of any extras and claiming the most sparkling transfer on the market but it looks okay and it sounds alright and those who appreciate these films should be content.