- Hans Billian
Hans Billian (*
April 15 ,1918 inBreslau (today,Wrocław ,Poland ) , †December 18 2007 inGräfelfing , Bavaria) was a Germanfilm director ,screenwriter , andactor who is renowned for the "sex comedies" he directed in 1970s. He was also credited as "Hans Billan", "Phillip Halliday", and "Christian Kessler".Billian originally wanted to become an opera singer but due to the deterioration of his voice during his nine years in
military service he had to abandon this plan. AfterWorld War II , he settled inWest Germany and started to work as an actor at theatres inHamburg andWolfenbüttel . He later began to work also as a director's assistant.In 1950, he started to work for various German film producers. Especially, his work for "Constantin-Film" proved to be successful until 1961 when he left this company to work as a freelance screenwriter and director. Until late 1960s, he wrote films or directed films that fell under the category
Heimatfilm , such as "Ich kauf' mir lieber einen Tirolerhut" in 1965. In late 1960s and early 1970s, he directedsoftcore sex comedies, like "Pudelnackt in Oberbayern" (1969) (a Bavarian sex comedy pioneer) , "Die Jungfrauen von Bumshausen" (Run, Virgin, Run) (1970), and "Das Mädchen mit der heißen Masche" (Loves of a French Pussycat) (1972) (starringSybil Danning ).In 1973, Billian directed hardcore short-length loops for the Swedish company "Venus Film". When the ban on hardcore pornography was lifted in Germany, he started to direct numerous short-length hardcore films there. In 1975, he directed the first German full-length hardcore
feature film , "Bienenstich im Liebesnest" (soft version known as "Im Gasthaus zum scharfen Hirschen", also known as "Zimmermädchen machen es gern"). In 1976, he directed "Josefine Mutzenbacher...wie sie wirklich war? 1. Teil" (Sensational Janine) about the early life of Viennesecourtesan Josephine Mutzenbacher . The film that had the title role played byPatricia Rhomberg who also had an intimate relationship with Billian was his greatest success. During this period, Billian continued to shoot loops, a number of which attracted particular attention such as "Massagesalon Elvira" that featured Anne Magle, the Danish porn sensation of the '70s."Josefine Mutzenbacher...wie sie wirklich war? 1. Teil" was conceived by Billian as the first part of a Josefine Mutzenbacher series but when the producer Gunter Otto of "Herzog" refused to finance a second part, Billian took the money from the production company "Starlight" and directed "Die Beichte der Josefine Mutzenbacher" (Josephine) in 1979. However, Otto who held the rights for the title released "Josefine Mutzenbacher...wie sie wirklich war? 2. Teil" (Professional Janine) in 1980. Both films were unable to reach the success of the 1976 film, particularly due to absence of Rhomberg and lack of continuity with the first film. In 1981, 1987, 1991 Billian directed three further Josefine Mutzenbacher titles.
In 1990s he directed porn videos especially for the producer "Tabu" of
Bochum but these videos fell far from the quality of his work in 1970s.External links
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* [http://www.splatting-image.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8&Itemid=5 Interview with Hans Billian] Interview from 1996 (in German)
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