The biographical film tells the story of how Ludwig Franz Hirtreiter (1936-1999) became Rex Gildo, an idol of its time in Germany. He was born in Bavaria and is buried in Munich, at one side rests his manager Fred Miekley, and at the other his cousin and wife Marion Ohlsen. He was a well-known performer and singer of Schlager (European popular music revolving around love and feelings).
We learn that Rex Gildo´s life could be like a fairy tale: fame, money, and millions of fans, if only he works hard and obeys his manager, lover, and life companion, also known as his uncle, who instructed him to rise and shine… and he did. His life was a tale but there was drama too.
In those days (1956-1969) Paragraph 175 of the German criminal code preserved the wording of the Nazi law and criminalized male homosexuality, in those same days Rex Gildo, feathers spread out, dressed up for the occasion, sang and danced at stages, brought happiness to German audiences and made thousands of fans.
The film shows vintage footage, photographs, and, with the help of actors, recreation of moments or situations in the life of Rex Gildo. Camp and kitsch aesthetics are combined in the original sequences and the fictional takes that reconstruct parts of the story. Some staged representations are overacted and stiff, in some scenes, I couldn´t take my eyes out of the wig of the main character! The film also includes testimonies of women (Gudum Gloth, Vera Tschechowa, Conny Froboess, Gitte Hanning) that knew or performed with Rex Gildo, providing depth to the narrative.
Rex Gildo had a resemblance to Engelbert Humperdinck when young. In 1962 he landed a nationwide #1 hit for the first time: Speedy Gonzalez. 10 years later, the biggest hit that haunted him throughout his life: Fiesta Mexicana! Plenty of tequila to keep our spirits high! Both songs were very popular among German fans, and Mexican fans liked and remember him also. For me, some of his early staged performances as watched in the film, point to a queerness impossible to go unnoticed, then and now.
In the 60´s Rex Gildo was a star, a Latin lover. German films were family films, light comedies, innocuous entertainment for a narrow-minded time that reminded me of the Spanish and Mexican productions I saw in those years at movie theaters ( Marisol, Raphael, Pili y Mili, Angélica María, Rocío Dúrcal, Julissa, Sandro). On the other side of the spectrum, Bob Dylan sang critical songs and civil rights movements were emerging.
Between 1960 and 1990, a 30 years period, many changes occurred. In Germany, in 1973, Paragraph 175 was modified, and messages like Be Proud of Your Homosexuality began, out of the toilets and into the streets. In that decade, The life of Rex Gildo was no exception, he always projected the image of the charming ladies-man singing love songs, he remained conservative. In 1974 he even married his cousin Marion in a lavender marriage.
After the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, Rex´s fans from the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) could attend his concerts, although in the 90´s he still was in the 50s and a caricature of himself.
The German queer filmmaker/activist Rosa von Praunheim has been prolifically filming since the 70s, and he introduces to us, and to new generations, both Rex Gildo’s public persona and private life. In the film, three women dressed in black, perhaps related to the weird sisters from Macbeth´s characters, denied what they don’t like or understand about him, and remember their idol with his beautiful black hair despite his advanced age.
This documentary gives a fascinating look at a slice of queer history that was known by so few …..until now that is
Review by José Mayorga , Guatemala, Central America lawyer and notary public, visual artist, and editor of El Azar Cultural, lives and works in Guatemala City. Cinema lover, curious about the possibilities life brings and eager to live the experience.
Labels: 2022, documentary, José Mayorga, review, Rex Gildo, Rosa van Praunheim
Where is this film screening?
So far at OUTSHINE Film Feat (and streaming throughout Florida) Its distributed by missingfilms.de