Je suis une groupie

Ich - Ein Groupie (1970)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Vicky (Ingrid Steeger) has parties and has sex with a rock star but the next morning he is gone. That doesn't meant that Vicky's feelings go away so she gets her friend Rolf (Rolf Eden) to travel with her across Europe in hopes of finding him but their journey leads to one party after another and soon the side effects start to show.

ICH - EIN GROUPIE, also known as HIGHER AND HIGHER, comes from director Erwin C. Dietrich and it turned out to be a rather large hit and it made a star out of Steeger who would go onto appear in countless sexploitation pictures. The movie had a pretty rough start though as it was originally going to be co-produced by Roger Corman and directed by Jack Hill but, depending on who you talk to, issues arose and soon Dietrich was in the director's chair and Hill was on his way back to America.

As far as the film goes, there's no question that it falls well short of being a good movie but at the same time there's some very good stuff scattered throughout the picture. There's no question that the main reason to watch the film is for the performance of Steeger who is quite good here. The character she's playing is a free and loose woman and I thought Steeger did a very good job with it. Of course, the greatest thing is the fact that she's a very beautiful woman and there's no question that this helps sell the film. The non-stop nudity and sex scenes are certainly what makes the film so memorable.

There's really nothing fresh or original done with the movie, although it does try to be a bit more than just a skin flick. Dietrich adds some real drama and a downbeat ending, which isn't something you'd normally expect. The film has some rather slow moments throughout the running time but, again, there's no doubt that the reason to watch the film is for Steeger and that alone makes it recommended.