The Einstein of Sex - Life and Work of Dr. M. Hirschfeld

The Einstein of Sex - Life and Work of Dr. M. Hirschfeld
by Rosa von Praunheim

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DVD Reviews of The Einstein of Sex - Life and Work of Dr. M. Hirschfeld

DVD Review: A Worthy Depiction of the World of a Brave Researcher
Summary: 4 Stars

Three actors portray Hirschfeld - one for the ten-year old sex sketcher, one for the student and young doctor, and one for the middle-aged doctor and institution head. The latter two are immersed in a world of male sexuality.

The audience gets to see a parade of attractive, freqently unclothed men, who appear as patients, nudists, hyper-masculine patriots, transvestites, or as other examples of early twentieth century marginal groups. Some scenes look like recreations of photographs from the period. Seemingly modern activities like "outing" or fighting sodomy laws were being done a long time ago.

Hirschfeld himself is shown trying for years to stay celebate and focus on his work, despite various temptations. He develops a relationship with a cute assistant, Karl Giese (played by Olaf Drauschke), that lasts for many years (though the film telescopes this). Toward the end Hirschfeld takes a long trip and cheats on Giese, although this is not explored in depth. So there is some personal journey mixed in with the wide social survey.

The camera work and sets give the movie an inexpensive feel, although the acting is servicable. I especially liked Drauschke (Giese), Gerd Lukas Storzer as Baron von Tauschenberg (a young, early assistant to Hirschfeld), and Gerry Wolf (as Hirschfeld's conservative uncle).

A big plus is that there is a 30+ minute documentary on Magnus Hirschfeld and director Rosa von Prauheim. This gives more background on the history and on the director's views. There is also some documentary footage in the main film.

The photo gallery has some hot photos not in the film. Some of these appear on the back of the DVD case (with suitable alteration).

I upgraded the film a bit for the idea that Hirschfeld managed to do sex research on a scale unequalled before or since. (Kinsey was an honorable second.) Nowadays, the US Federal government resists funding any sort of sexuality study; having a finding that gay or bi sexuality is normal would outrage too many. Since the Nazis destroyed the Institute's records (forcing future researchers to start from scratch), this unique movie and accompanying documentary is a reminder of what is useful and possible. "The Einstein of Sex" is a worthwhile DVD to watch or own.