Hot Summer

Forget about Frankie and Annette: this beach blanket is being pitched on the Baltic Sea and East German pop idols Chris Doerk and Frank Schobel are lovin' and fightin'. After a number of serious (and banned) films on teenagers, this bit of fluff lit up East German box offices in 1968. The blend of pop songs, rock and upbeat lyrics kept the soundtrack on the hit parade for more than a year. Resurrected in the '90s as a cult item, Hot Summer,/i> is definitely unique--a bit goofy, a bit naive, but a genuine cultural artifact nonetheless. Like Grease in America a decade later, this frothy piece of escapism was an unexpected hit at a time when movie musicals seemed beyond revival. Subtitled in English.