Rosemary

Originally Das Madchen Rosemarie, this German musical tragedy has a lot in common with the Bertold Brecht/Kurt Weill theatrical pieces The Threepenny Opera and The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahoganny; in fact, the music heard throughout was taken from Weill's backlog. Austrian beauty contest winner Nadja Tiller plays the prostitute heroine, based on a real-life call girl whose predilection for blackmailing her high-profile customers ended with her mysterious death in 1957. The film was advertised as a satire, with the satirical level exemplified by a chorus of capitalist businessmen rhythmically opening and closing their briefcases. The frivolity of Rosemary is punctuated by moments of chilling horror, including the film's bleak denouement.~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide