Der Frechdachs (1932) watch online HD

I translated this film's title 'Der Frechdachs' as 'The Cheeky Badger' ... which made no sense to me (there are no badgers in this movie) until a Swiss friend informed me that in German slang a lecherous man is called a 'badger'. Now I know where the 'badger game' got its name.

The chief attraction of this movie is actress Camilla Horn. She was an extremely beautiful Nordic blonde who went to Hollywood in the late silent era and starred in several films, as well as becoming the mistress of big-shot producer Joseph M Schenk. Her heavy accent and imperfect English ruined her chances for stardom in American talkies, and she went back to Germany.

The cheeky badger here is a lecher played by Willy Fritsch, who sets his lusty sights on a married woman played by the beauteous Fraulein Horn. Her husband (Ralph Arthur Roberts) is no obstacle to Willy's plans, because Ralphie-boy is busy pursuing someone else: Else Elster. This actress is attractive, but not nearly so attractive as Camilla Horn ... so I couldn't understand why Herr Roberts was so eager to cheat on his wife.

This whole movie feels like a dirty joke, except that the comedy isn't so funny, and by modern standards the smut isn't very smutty. It feels like 'Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice': firmly convinced of its own audacity, but not really very shocking. Most of the plot takes place in Paris, which I also found peculiar: the German makers of this film seem to feel that philandering is more natural or more excusable if it happens in France.

There are some merits here: Camilla Horn is very nice to look at, and there are some impressive shots of Parisian street scenes and a beach resort. Even so, I'll rate this movie only 3 points in 10.