Quicknation    The Raspberry Reich

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The Raspberry Reich is an artistic pornographic film which explores terrorist chic, cult dynamics and the power of homosexual expression [1]. It is about a contemporary terrorist group who set out to continue the work of the Red Army Faction (), also known as the Baader-Meinhof Gang. The group consists of several young men, and a female leader named Gudrun (after Gudrun Ensslin). All of the characters are named after original members of the Baader-Meinhof Gang, or other revolutionaries such as Che Guevera.

They call temselves the "Sixth Generation of the Baader-Meinhof Gang" and "The Raspberry Reich". "Reich" is a reference to communist sexologist Wilhelm Reich.

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The core plot begins with the kidnapping of Patrick, the son of a wealthy industrialist. Sexual and romantic engtanglements push the drama forward. At the film's climax, Gudrun delivers a soliloquy on the importance of personal life in revolution. She puts particular emphasis on the breaking of heterosexual and possessive sexual norms, urging her comrades to join "The Homosexual Intifada".

The pressure of Gudrun's controlling personality causes the group to break up. Most of the urban guerillas escape into the night. In the denouement, the characters are visited some time later. Several have found happiness in the homosexual relationships established during their revolutionary activites. Che has become a terrorist trainer in the Middle East. Patrick escapes with Clyde, where they embark on a spree of bank robberies. This action is reminiscent of Patty Hearst's actions with the SLA. Gudrun and Andreas settle down and have a child named Ulrike (after Ulrike Meinhof), whom Gudrun believes could em is propagandistic. The actors are placed in rooms wallpapered with photographs of Gudrun Ensslin, Ulrike Meinhof, Andreas Baader, and Che Guevera. This symbolises the historical connection to the RAF. At several points during the film, the action pauses while the characters recite long passages from Vaneigem's , as though they are speaking from their own thoughts. Onscreen titles are also used to convey and enhance political messages.

Pornography plays a large visual role in the film. The openning sequence is an extended montage of sexual activity. As is the film's climactic scene.

Slogans are used to convey the politics of the Raspberry Reich. They are both and extension and parody of the slogans used by political organisations. Some slogans used in the film:

"Are you revolutionary enough to give up your girlfriends?" (Question originally asked at a Weather Underground conference counterposing sexuality and revolution, in the context of Raspberry Reich it counterposes hetero and homosexuality.)Declaring things to be counter revolutionary: "Corporate hip hop is couter revolutionary!"; "Cornflakes are counter revolutionary"; "Masturbation is counter revolutionary".

Humour is employed to explore the gap between reality and ideal in the terrorist world. For example, after the kidnapping is complete, the terrorists who are sworn vegetarians for political reasons ("meat is counter revolutionary") visit Burger King, a multinational corporate fast food chain.

W.R.: Mysteries of the Organism, another political film which explores and relies heavily upon sexual imagery.