In The Sign of Taurus (1974)

Smirk

MVD

R0 DVD

The Danes seem to have had a light-hearted attitude to their erotica and this film is no exception. It features better acting than most of the “In The Sign Of …” series and a considerably better plot. It was written by Werner Hedman who wrote many of the other “In The Sign Of “ films.

The Count of the village dies from a heart attack. This is a tragedy because his generous donations to the village council meant the locals didn’t have to pay any taxes. Although the Count was a decidedly dirty old man the villagers didn’t seem to mind and tried to keep a high moral tone themselves. That is, until the Count’s will is read out. His money will go to the first child born out of wedlock in the sign of Taurus – that’s about ten months away. If such a child is not born, the money goes to a cat shelter in Oslo. This is a disaster for the straight-laced village. Their own children are, of course, virtuous (they think) so there is only one woman in the village who is suited – the local prostitute (sorry, needleworker).

The young people would like to get in on the act as well so the girls take lessons from the needleworker and the boys from the local man-about-town. Soon all the young people in the village are going at it like rabbits. The parents feel it is necessary to put guards on their daughters but the young people still find ways around this. Many girls are now pregnant and the couples would like to get married but this would defeat the terms of the will. The mayor puts a ban on future weddings until the first child is born out of wedlock.

One person who is particularly unhappy is the “needleworker”. She is disgusted that the townspeople would prostitute their own daughters just so they don’t have to pay taxes. She crashes a town council meeting and tells them off, calling them pimps. It turns out the only one she has not had relations with is the village priest, and in his younger days he managed to service the townswomen anyway.

The action is a little more risqué than other films in the series but it’s all done in good taste and with an eye for the comedy rather than the smut, so in many ways it’s more like a slightly dirtier version of Australia’s Alvin Purple. By today’s standards it goes nowhere near pornographic. It’s just a lot of fun with a lot of attractive girls. Sit back and enjoy it.

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This review will appear in Volume 3 No. 3 of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.

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