The ultimate virile warrior — the German version of Hercules — Siegfried (Raimund Harmstorf), alongside his clumsy manservant Hansel, has grand ambitions. They take him to Castle Burgundy with hopes of marrying the comely Kriemhild (Sybil Danning). However, Castle Burgundy’s ruler, King Gunther, has a complicated problem.
Gunther wants to marry the fierce Warrior Queen of Iceland, Brunhild (Heidy Bohlen), but winning her heart requires passing a series of daunting challenges. They including piercing a wall of flames and proving exceptional endurance in the royal bedchamber. In true Cyrano de Bergerac fashion, the King strikes a deal. Siegfried must use his legendary prowess to stand in for Gunther in the dark and pleasure the demanding Brunhild, so she agrees to the royal marriage. With magic, masquerade and plenty of light-hearted naughtiness, the film playfully weaves through the classical Nibelung Ring mythology before shifting into a surprisingly more serious, dramatic back half.
Depending on where you stumbled across this piece of cinematic history in translation, you might find it under a staggering array of titles, including The Long Swift Sword of Siegfried, Siegfried und das sagenhafte Liebesleiden der Nibelungen, or simply The Erotic Adventures of Siegfried.
Most of it was directed by Adrian Hoven (Mark of the Devil, Castle of the Creeping Flesh), but David F. Friedman did the U.S. cut, and it was written by Fred Denger (Uncle Tom’s Cabin) and Brigitte Parnitzke. Friedman also wrote the version shown here.
You can download this from the Internet Archive.
