The Fruit Is Ripe (1977)

The Worst Film Ever

One of my all time favorites.

Don't Believe the Hype

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

"Griechische Feigen" or "The Fruit Is Ripe" "Coming of Age" is a West German soft-core porn movie from almost 40 years ago. It runs for 90 minutes and was directed by Sigi Rothemund, who is actually somewhat known here in Germany and worked on quite a few films that are still heard of today. But the really embarrassing play on words in the title here already gives the direction of this film: it is very much trash, probably only a good watch if you are horny and find lead actress Betty Vergès attractive. This was her first work and looking at her performance here in terms of range and talent, it is not a surprise at all that her career as an actress was really short-lived. You see some boobs here and sex scenes, but it is all not too explicit, so I would not categorize it as porn really. But it is not an artistic achievement by any means either and I personally did not like that the film relies on one actress completely. Maybe some hot scenes with other actresses would have been nice for diversity. Overall, it is a pretty weak film from the sexual revolution in German filmmaking. I give it a thumbs down. Not recommended.

The Fruit Is Ripe isn't a bad quality film, about a sexy and bold student, who isn't afraid to be naked around rich Daddy's friends or flash her breasts at passers by, or anyone for that matter. Instead of going back to college in Munich, our little beauty, Patricia, trades her airline tickets to a more needy couple at the airport and it's off to Greece with rich Daddy and Mummy's spondouli. There's a really great use of locations in this film, particularly the Greek Isles where most of the story is set. Some shots are ultimately breathtaking, you almost feel you are there or wish you were there. This is worth the watch alone. But back to our story: Our naughty and cute Patricia steals a middle aged playboy from the airport with her wife, running after him in tow. Back at his lavish home, basking in the sun, naked on a lazyboy, she makes out with the guy. A cute moment is when she disrupts a pre kiss by asking him "Are you married". Of course he's gonna say "No". Anyone would. Now, half naked, from the waist up, she hails a taxi, causing a collision. She steals a car from two sex hungry studs, then parks it illegally, causing them some pretty hefty fines. She helps herself to a couple's food while watching them make love in the dark. Ultimately our brazen little tease falls in love with a handsome sailor and from there the story kicks in. I'm not gonna disclose anymore, but this is one of Roadshow Vibrant Video's better titles. Verges is such a tease, though I did find her annoying at times. May'be it was her flamboyance, or she was just too much, I'm not sure, but you can't help liking her character. It's her independence, that most viewers would envy. The sex in this is restrained. It's more nudity, and what a beautiful site Betty Verges is from the moment she slips out the pool, at the film's start. I think the underlying message in The Fruit Is Ripe is 'Be who you are, go for it, and don't let anyone hold you back'. Deep down, we all wanna be like Patricia, but the majority of us just haven't got the guts to admit it, and sadly never will. A high point that stays with me in this film is the male of that couple Patricia befriends, as he sings, "Leaving Traces in the Sand", while they sit around the campfire.

I first saw Grichische Feigen, translated into The Fruit Is Ripe, on pay TV while at university in the 1980's. As far as soft-core porn goes, this has the requisite nudity, sex, and great scenery you'd expect from a low-budget production. The acting isn't as bad as you'd think, there are no serious gaffes in the production (like mike boom shadows or editing mistakes), but the god-awful dialog takes away any redeeming value this may have had if the director, Siggi Gotz who thankfully doesn't seem to have produced anything since 1988, had had any talent in raising this dreck above the mundane. There's the potential, given the Betty Verges actually possesses screen presence, that Gotz could have made something meanful, but he didn't. Unless you're in the mood for softcore porn, skip this one.

A teenage girl runs away from her parents in Greece to hitch rides and generally just bums around. She meets a number of men and most of them are rejects. This is a 'sexual awakening/coming-of-age story'. However, Betty Verges seems a bit too old to play this part. She just has an air of sophistication, and she must be at least 5 to 10 years older than the character's age. Although the movie is set in Greece, the scenes are set in somewhat grimy locales and the photography is poor. The budget for this film must have been minimal. Finally, I didn't even like the soundtrack!