Nostalgia Kinky

Altered Innocence have released a brand-new 45th anniversary Blu-ray and DVD for Frank Ripploh’s powerful Taxi zum Klo (1980), an absolutely extraordinary German film that’s as haunting as it is moving. Featuring a terrific new 4K transfer and valuable extras, Altered Innocence’s new release is both an important and welcome one. Director and written by Ripploh, who also stars, Taxi zum Klo is bold, personal and raw and this new restoration serves Ripploh’s passion project incredibly well.

Born in September of 1949, in Rhine, Germany, Frank Ripploh lived a lot of lives before Taxi zum Klo cemented his legacy. After studying philosophy at Münster, Ripploh eventually became a teacher in the early seventies. He also worked as both an author and actor in this period before Taxi zum Klo. As a writer he worked under the pseudonym “Peggy von Schnottgenberg”, publishing articles and short stories. After befriending New German Cinema filmmaker Rosa von Praunheim, Ripploh ended up acting in not only their films but also in the works of acclaimed artist Ulrike Ottinger. After publicly coming out in 1978 to Stern magazine, Ripploh lost his tenured position, despite being a highly respected educator and loved by his classes. Ripploh recalled in 1981 that “they wanted to get rid of me because I’m gay” and it horribly all but ended his career as a teacher.

Ripploh’s work with Praunheim and Ottinger helped get him to know other leading lights of the new German Cinema including Fassbinder, whom he became friends and collaborators with in the last few years of the giant’s brief life. With his teaching career at at a frustrating and unfair standstill, Ripploh turned his attention more fully to the cinema and a year after coming out he began work on Taxi zum Klo.

Educator and historian Bradford Nordeen points out in his excellent printed essay that accompanies Altered Innocence’s disc that Taxi zum Klo was “made on credit” by a group of Ripploh’s friends and colleagues all doing it simply because they believed in him and his film. How cool is that? Rare as well. Ripploh, with his small crew and cast, shot mostly on the weekends on a next to nothing budget on 16mm. The film stock turned out to be not only a cheaper alternative to 35mm but also a better one, as it gives an already incredibly raw film an even more immediate and personal feel. The film’s graininess almost takes on an erotic quality during Taxi zum Klo’s celebrated scenes of graphic sexuality. A more accomplished filmmaker with a larger budget couldn’t have made a better or especially more honest film than Ripploh does with his electric debut.

A character study, a love story, a film about sex and breaking stereotypes, Taxi zum Klo tells the story of a teacher named Frank and his lover Bernd. Mostly improvised, Taxi zum Klo could have been a disaster considering the sheer inexperience of much of the cast and crew, not to mention the budget, but the film is an absolute triumph that still feels revolutionary 45 years later. Why can’t we have films this brave, this unafraid anymore?

As intensely graphic as Taxi zum Klo is it is also quite funny at times and has a wonderful life affirming quality about it. Nordeen mentions that the film has real optimism at its core. I found this especially true of the film’s fearless sex scenes, still so uber progressive and a reminder as to how cinema has become more and more regressive in the last couple of decades especially. Why can’t we have films made like this anymore?

Taxi zum Klo received much acclaim upon release as well as much pushback from censors all over the world. Film historian KJ Shepherd mentions some of the film’s alternate cuts in their video essay that can be found on Altered Innocence’s release. Controversary and conversation followed it every where it played for years after. I’m including a gallery of clippings at the end of this piece documenting much of the reaction from English language viewers at the time of its release and since. Thankfully Altered Innocence’s new 4K restoration is completely uncut. Film historians should be grateful as Taxi zum Klo is an incredibly valuable work. I’m very worried that today’s frightening climate is going to lead my question of “Why can’t we have films made like this anymore?” to “Why can’t we see films like this anymore?”.

Taxi zum Klo is a tremendously alive piece of cinema. It has a warmth to it that removes it from other key works at least adjacent to The New German Cinema. It is only during Frank’s light night cruising in his car that the look and sound of the film resemble the more moody aspects of The New German Cinema. Taxi zum Klo is very much its own thing, a huge burst of creative life and sex affirming energy captured on film.

This new 4K restoration of Taxi zum Klo is very strong and wonderfully cinematic. Thankfully the folks at Altered Innocence haven’t attempted to ‘clean’ up the film too much and Taxi zum Klo loses none of its grittiness via this striking new transfer. Extras include the aforementioned booklet, Shepherd’s excellent and wonderfully personal 25 minute essay and a second video essay by film historian Elizabeth Purchell. This look at the harmful and ugly stereotypes thrown at LGBT teachers and how they relate to the film is super interesting. I just wish it had been longer, as Purchell always does great work.

Taxi zum Klo is a mind-blowing film. Ripploh spent much of the rest of his life working as a journalist before sadly passing away from cancer in 2002. Taxi zum Klo was enough to secure his place in film history.
Why can’t we have films like this anymore?

-Jeremy Richey, February 2026-

There was a lot of material written about Taxi zum Klo at the time of its release and since. Here’s a sampling of some of the English language clippings I found concerning the film.

Taxi zum Klo is available to order from MVD and directly from Altered Innocence.