I Tyrens tegn (1974)

The plot for In The Sign of the Taurus begins when the will of an eccentric millionaire Count controls the future of the town. His will insists on a party the night of his death and if the town wants his millions, then a baby must be born out of wedlock under the sign of Taurus which is nine months and fourteen days from the day of his death. In this “perfect” town all of the young ladies and gentlemen are virgins and know nothing about sex. When the town council, consisting of Pastor Frydenhoj (Karl Stegger, winner of Best Supporting Act Bodil Award), Mayor Felix Andersen (Preben Mahrt who appeared in 71 films), Dr. Andreas Salvesen (Ole Soltoft winner at Sweden Fantastic Film Festival), Police Chief Striid (Ole Monty who appeared in 66 films), and the Chemist Pillesen (appeared in over 34 films) reads the will – they agree to keep it a secret and to convince the town hussy Carola (Lone Helmer who appeared in over 20 films) to be the mother of the child. All of the council are upstanding citizens who know Carola intimately. Word of the will leaks out and all of the young aldies rush to Carola’s house and ask for sex lessons. The boys are all taught by Carol’s boyfriend Albert (Otto Brandenburg, two time award winner of Bodil Award and nominated at the Robert Festival, appeared in 72 films).

This eccentric bit of erotica has many, many strange (though oddly entertaining attributes) such as erotic professionally choreographed nude dancing including gymnastics, anxious virgins, fruit masturbation, a barber shaving a young virgin, an ambidextrous man pleasuring himself in a most unusual way, and threesomes. The comedy skits are actually pretty funny, unpredictable, and entertaining in their own way. In The Sign of the Taurus is actually just one in a series of famous Danis Tegn films, movies known for their delightful blend of physical comedy and well endowed women who aren’t afraid to shed their clothes at the drop of a hat. Warner Hedman directed and wrote this hilarious naughty comedy, but is also credited as Cinematographer, Production Manager, Director, Writer, Editor, Actor, Producer, Second Unit Director or Assistant Director, and Miscellaneous Crew for more than 60 films, if you can believe that.

The main thing I can say is that “Classic Danish Erotica” (as the cover advertises) is quite different from modern American pornography. I thought I knew what to expect, but I was quite wrong. The first thing that struck me was actually the sheer amount of story on display. This movie is straight up dense, even for a normal film. I can honestly say that the story was engaging and entertaining enough to watch it on its own, and I never thought I would say that about a porno, but here I am. The other thing that caught me off guard was how funny and goofy the film is as a whole. This is a legitimate porno comedy, through and through. It’s not just the story that’s funny either, as the majority of the sex scenes are comical too. I hesitate to give any examples here on a public website, but suffice it to say that the sex scenes manage to be 100% pornographic in their display, but also quite silly in their execution. It was slightly off putting to watch, but interesting nonetheless. The best way I can describe the film is by pointing you in the direction of Austin Powers. The film has a very Austin Powers vibe to it, except that it goes to all of the places that the Austin Powers movies only hint at. Still, that should give you an idea of what you’re getting into. It’ll probably be different from anything you’ve ever seen, but if you’re in the mood for some eccentric and entertaining porno (for more reasons than the titillation), then I actually recommend you give In The Sign of the Taurus a look.