German DVD Cover
Mit Himbeergeist geht alles besser (aka The Magnificent Rogue and It Goes Better With Raspberry Juice) is an Austrian comedy that tells the story of Phillip Kalder (O. W. Fischer) on the occasion of his being granted an honor by his city. He sits down with a reporter and recounts how he tricked his way out of a POW camp near the end of World War II and then finagled his way through various deals after the war to make money before being ripped off by an art collector.
I have only been able to view this film in German, and I do not speak German, so my ability to enjoy and appreciate this film is very limited. With that said, it appears to be a solid film. It is well directed and
filmed in black and white. The actors perform well. Fischer gives me
the impression of playing a Cary Grant type character in the movie, and
Marianne Koch is lovely.
It was probably shot in the summer of 1960, since IMDB shows the release date in West Germany as November 1, 1960.
The film was reviewed by Variety in the December 7, 1960 edition based on a November 18 viewing in Vienna, Austria at the Forum Kino. Although, yet again, there was no mention of Jocelyn, the review was positive:
"Despite the awkward title, this motion picture should do good b.o. in the German language countries. Star O. W. Fischer is, in this instance, very natural in depicting the ups and downs of a prisoner of war (first French, then U.S., from where he fled) and his role afterwards on the black market, crowned by honorary citizenship of the city the supplied with goods, illegally obtained.
A clear satire on the conditions of 1945-50. Marianne Koch, his opposite, is also excellent. She, too, has the necessary 'connections' on the black markets. Idea of plot: for hero first to use her for his 'dark purposes,' then to fall in love, is hardly new, but well constructed.
In the supporting cast, all do nicely, George Marischka directed and showed good sense in speeding up the early scenes, setting bad times of 1945. Cameraman Guenther Knuth did a good job.
Johannes Fehring supplied a few songs."
It was probably shot in the summer of 1960, since IMDB shows the release date in West Germany as November 1, 1960.
The film was reviewed by Variety in the December 7, 1960 edition based on a November 18 viewing in Vienna, Austria at the Forum Kino. Although, yet again, there was no mention of Jocelyn, the review was positive:
"Despite the awkward title, this motion picture should do good b.o. in the German language countries. Star O. W. Fischer is, in this instance, very natural in depicting the ups and downs of a prisoner of war (first French, then U.S., from where he fled) and his role afterwards on the black market, crowned by honorary citizenship of the city the supplied with goods, illegally obtained.
A clear satire on the conditions of 1945-50. Marianne Koch, his opposite, is also excellent. She, too, has the necessary 'connections' on the black markets. Idea of plot: for hero first to use her for his 'dark purposes,' then to fall in love, is hardly new, but well constructed.
In the supporting cast, all do nicely, George Marischka directed and showed good sense in speeding up the early scenes, setting bad times of 1945. Cameraman Guenther Knuth did a good job.
Johannes Fehring supplied a few songs."
Jocelyn has a very small role as Chou-Chou, a dancer at the Lido club in Paris, but she absolutely shines in her brief appearance between about the 59 and 71 minute marks of this 94-minute film. Her character is very demonstrative, a ditzy young exotic dancer. I'm not sure if the voice is actually her, but she was definitely mouthing her lines in German. Jocelyn shows more range of emotion and genuine excitement than she had exhibited in any role to date. She also puts her dance training to good use in a dance number, climaxing in a very brief flashing of her breasts. Jocelyn was a very beautiful woman and proportioned just fine for her petite size, but let's just say that this scene confirms that she had been using all of the techniques available at the time to enhance her sweater in the starlet years.
I'm not sure how Jocelyn wound up in a role like this in an Austrian movie, but it is a good-looking film, and Jocelyn lights up the screen in her brief appearance. Perhaps she was attracted to the idea of making a film in Austria, the country where she was born.
Here are some screenshots of Jocelyn:
I have seen no evidence of a home video release other than the German DVD released in 2011, which includes a trailer.
The German poster:
Here is an Italian locandina poster:
A Dutch poster:The German poster:
Here is an Italian locandina poster:
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