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United Trash

GER 1995, 77 min

Christoph Schlingensiefs grotequely erotic, blasphemous, ultraviolent, incestuous, scatological, certifiable splatter comedy about a Messiah in Africa. Can he prevent the launching of a discarded V2 Rocket from Adolf Hitler and Werner von Braun?

Synopsis

Africa, ... Land of the infinite sun, of curly hair and the smell of diesel oil. German soldiers on a mission from the United Nations. For General Werner Brenner (Udo Kier), a dream comes true: the new crematorium, the multicultural children’s playground and, above all, the old V2-Rocket from the Führer! Here, where people are still crude and simple, every German can display his abilities! But after a couple of days, Brenner’s unbreakable optimism starts to crumble ...
Between John Waters, Herschell Gordon Lewis, the ZAZ films eerily foreshadowing the events during Germany’s implication in the Kosovo war 4 years later, enacted on African grounds UNITED TRASH is perhaps the only politically explosive gross-out film!

Streaming-Info

Rent or buy the movie on our Vimeo channel. For other providers, see “Watch Movie”.
Language: German, Subtitles: English, Polish, Spanish

Press reviews

German bad-tastemeister Christoph Schlingensief’s latest is a grotequely erotic, blasphemous, ultraviolent, incestuous, scatological, certifiable splatter comedy about a Messiah in Africa with a very messy cranial orifice. Mind-bending drugs would seem to be required to make sense of this repugnant jumble, and probably only the most adventurous of fest programmers will find an opening for THE SLIT [international title of UNITED TRASH]. (David Rooney, Variety 1995)

Additional Texts

Brief synopsis of UNITED TRASH

Brenner’s virgin wife Martha (Kitten Natividad) bears her first child: a little boy with black skin: Peter Panne (Thomas Chibwe). Many remain clueless, but bishop Pierre (Joachim Tomaschewsky), an excommunicated bishop from Vienna, smells the opportunity: with no teeth and full of hatred towards the roman catholic church, he appoints Peter the new Messiah and himself his manager. Martha, who has let Pierre exorcise her in public and at the same time heal from her “kinky” sexuality, is thrilled. Only Werner is taken aback: who needs a Messiah if the United Nations are already there?
Meanwhile, the local dictator (Jones Muguse) has totally different plans with Peter Panne: he needs the little one as human jet propulsion for his intercontinental rocket, a gift from German UN troops: a discarded V2 Rocket from Adolf Hitler and Werner von Braun. On Christmas Eve, the rocket is planned to be launched at his nemesis inside the White House in Washington.
Things are getting worse: scrap and garbage, love, hate, chaos, bits and pieces from 100 years of internet, relicts of politically correct people, influences from the daily news and German private TV, packed with drums, screams and a good quench of Leni Riefenstahl, unite to a structural musical with leftwing-fascisct programme. The humanist world shows its true face, and Peter Panne becomes a star! 
 

Credits

Director & Cinematography
Christoph Schlingensief
With
Udo Kier, Kitten Natividad, Thomas Chibwe, Joachim Tomaschewsky, Johnny Pfeiffer, Jones Muguse, Miklós Königer, Brigitte Kausch-Kuhlbrodt, Dietrich Kuhlbrodt, Heimo Bachstein, Ethan Matondo, Kalle Mews, Daniel T. Tapera, Cuthbert Mawere, Wellington Jonga, Susanne Bredehöft, Thomas Nicolai, Peter Kern
Screenplay
Christoph Schlingensief, Oskar Roehler
Light Design
Voxi Bärenklau
Sound
Eckhard Kuchenbecker
Editor
Andrea Schumacher
Assistant Editor
Rudi Heinen
Speaker
Susanne Bredehöft, Thomas Nicola
Music
Biber Gullatz, Eckes Maltz
Special Effects
Thomas Göttemann
Production Design
Uli Hanisch Kostüm
Art Director
Uli Langenberg
Costume Design
Tabea Braun
Make-up Artist
Heide Haß
Script
Gudrun Widlock
Director’s Assistant
Ralph Brosche
Camera Assistant
Oliver Graff
Production Coordinator
Petronilla Munongoro
Production Manager
Ian White
Line Producer
Christian Fürst, Ralph Brosche
Producer
Christoph Schlingensief
Production
DEM FILM
Filming
November 1994 - December 1994: Harare and surroundings (Zimbabwe)
Premiere
28.10.1995, Hof, Internationale Filmtage
Theatrical release
22. Februar 1996

DVD-Details

Restored film, 2K scan, original theatrical version
Extras
Christoph Schlingensief – Interview (2004, 22 min), Alexander Kluge in conversation with Christoph Schlingensief (13.11.1995, 45 min), “Butterfly in the Dark” (Peter Kern, 1995, 20 min), Schlingensief - film trailer – All extras without subtitles
Language
German, English
Subtitles
English
Country Code
Code-free
System
PAL / Color
Length
72 min (25 fps) + 87 min Extras
Aspect Ratio
16:9
Sound Format
DD 2.0
Set-Content
Digipack (Set Content: 1), 28-page booklet with texts and photos
Release date
26.10.2018
Rating
From 18 years

Distribution Details

Screening Format
DCP (2K, 24 fps, 5.1)
Blu-ray Disc
35mm (Dolby Stereo SR, contact Deutsche Kinemathek)
Aspect Ratio
35mm, 1:1,85
Language
German, English
Subtitles
English (DCP, BD)
Promotion Material
A1 poster (rent only)
License Area
Worldwide
Rating
From 18 years