Buy Taxi zum Klo on DVD

Taxi zum Klo

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Synopsis

Three decades after it first hit cinemas and shocked mainstream audiences, Frank Ripploh’s groundbreaking debut feature returns in this digitally remastered director’s cut. Hailed as one of the defining forces behind the queer cinema genre, the film is now, for the first time, widely available on home video and complete with rarely-seen special features. Ripploh’s semi-autobiographical snapshot of the life of a gay schoolteacher captures an unyielding vision of gay culture in 1981 West Berlin. Through his gritty portrayal of a dual lifestyle – one that combines daily lesson plans and nightly hookups in public bathrooms – Ripploh laid bare the dark secrets of the closeted lifestyle and contributed to the birth of a new genre. Taxi Zum Klo is a pivotal piece of cinematic history that shows audiences how far a film can go and how much the modern gay mainstream has evolved.

3 Reasons To buy this film

I waited in line for hours to see this landmark film many years ago -- you don't need to wait anymore.
Pre-condom kinky German sex.
Interesting that director Frank Rippploh (with the exception of a tepid sequel Taxi Nach Kairo), never made another feature film.

Review

The consciousness and perception of gay men was revealed to a surprisingly large heterosexual audience when this witty and charming , but controversial social comedy opened theatrically in the USA in 1981. Unflinchingly honest and unpretentious, this "warts and all" portrait of one man gay man's lifestyle was autobiographical based. The film unabashedly presents scenes of promiscuous pre-AIDS sex, including tea room sex romps and thirst-quenching water sports, that could not be shown in today's more conservative climate. Frank stars as a secondary school teacher alternating between his "straight" work life and his nocturnal homosexual leisure activities. His sexual cavorting are temporarily halted when he falls in love with a movie theater manager who believes in home life and monogamy. But can he keep to the gay and narrow?

One of the many humorous sex scenes is in a public toilet where Frank, seated on a toilet begins grading school papers while fondling genitals thrust at him through a glory hole. Overall, a brash, invigorating work which considers the dilemma of gay fidelity and intimacy without succumbing to maudlin sentimentality or cynicism.

-- Raymond Murray

Product Format Information

DVD : $19.99

Availability: In stock and ready to ship
Region Code: 1

Studio : Breaking Glass Pictures

Languages: German (Primary) , English Subtitles
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen
Features:
Photo gallery: Original press kit.
Photo gallery: International press clippings.
Interview(s): Written interviews with Frank Ripploh.
Photo gallery: Frank Ripploh's illustrated idea album with pictures of the pre-production of Taxi zum Klo.
Bonus footage: Pictures & Video of the 'MAX-OPHULS-PREIS' film prize celebration.
Interview(s): Interview with Director Frank Ripploh for "Taxi nach Kairo."
Original theatrical trailer: Original & French trailers plus Production stills.

Customer Reviews

Classic Movie

two4699 wrote on 06/16/2011:

I saw this particular film many years ago, and as cutting edge as it was then, it stilll holds that edge even in 2011.....the struggle of any man, straight or gay, to be monogamous is a daunting task....mix that with the early pre-AIDS 1980's when the sexual revolution was in full swing, an you get an instant classic movie....although there was full frontal nudity, and brief periods of graphic sexuality, including some fetish...its was done to enhance the storyline, not be gratuitous.....all in all a huge thumbs up for a movie that helped the gay community to take a closer look into who we were then and now....and for any younger gay man, you can have both worlds, serial monogamy with kink is awesome!

A Look Back

Amos Lassen wrote on 02/22/2011:

“TAXI ZUM KLO”
A Look Back
Amos Lassen
I have wanted to review “Taxi Zum Klo” (Taxi to the Toilet) released by Cinevista Vide for a long time but it has gone for long periods of being out of print or simply unattainable. I finally got a copy of it on DVD and it is everything I remembered it being. It is not a new film being 27 years old now but it an important film and considering its nature, it is a forerunner of the gay movies we have today and I would even go so far as t say that no modern movie has been able to approach its realism and grittiness. Made in Germany, it shows a side of gay life that many of us are unfamiliar with.
“Taxi Zum Klo” is the story of a pair of ill-matched lovers (that was the term used for artners back then). Bernd is a stay-at-home who prefers cooking and cleaning while Frank is outgoing and loves to explore the public toilets and leather bars of Berlin for cheap thrills and one time tricks. He is also an elementary school teacher and the movie shows his life in explicit yet non exploitive detail. It is depicted a different yet not perverse. This is an openly autobiographical film with the director playing himself with great irony and wit and a great deal of tackiness Just look at the title).
Frank is every bit a rascal, he has a beard and he is a school teacher. He is also very gay, very out and has a very active sex life and a penchant for public sex. He does manage to keep his life as a teacher secret from his life as a gay man and e does this by grading his students’ papers in public toilets as he waits to score, He cruises all of the time and then one evening he meets Bernd and they become lovers. Bernd is affectionate and caring but Franks get bored for his old ways and continues them. Everything changes at the annual Berlin Queen’s Ball and during the morning after.
This a refreshing film with nothing hidden. It isn’t pretty but it is funny and sexy. It is a view of life and probably best appreciated by those who have an open relationship and an adventurous streak. It exposes how delightful it is to be selfish and how one who wants to have it all manages to live. Frank loves his boyfriend but he also loves anonymous sex. This is a pre -AIDs movie and it is way ahead of its time. There are some very explicit sex scenes and a lot of frontal nudity and the sex makes “Queer as Folk” look mild.
Ii is a fascinating look at early gay relationships before our lives were changed by AIDS. It is bold and it is a baring of the soul of the director who throws everything up at the screen with no apology It is an extremely honest film and I was absorbed by it completely. It is a semi-documentary approach to the life of Frank. It shows that you can live a regular life and be gay at the same time. The film has not been appreciated enough or seen enough and many have condemned it for being so straightforward and bold. It opens up the secret side of our lives as we open our hearts to the actors in the film. This is one to be relished and cherished and ever so thankful we have it—boldness and all. But this is a film to watch with open eyes and open minds. We are now living in the 2000s and the world is opening up to different sexuality o what was taboo in the 80s is more accepted now. We all know that not all men act like the guys in the film and secrecy about sex is usually desired for people in public positions who many would put down if their homosexuality was to be brought to the fore. Even with that, it is good that we have some people who are willing to be who and what they are all of the time and live in a society with others but march to their own music.