Chinesisches Roulette (Chinese Roulette) (1967)

78% of critics liked it
(9 reviews)
79% of users liked it
(1,111 ratings)

Cult filmmaker Herschell Gordon Lewis (Blood Feast) directed this surprisingly tame exploitation film about the then-hot topic of suburban wife-swapping. A couple moves into their new house and are soon turned on to the swingers' lifestyle by their naughty neighbors. Their daring fling culminates in… More Cult filmmaker Herschell Gordon Lewis (Blood Feast) directed this surprisingly tame exploitation film about the then-hot topic of suburban wife-swapping. A couple moves into their new house and are soon turned on to the swingers' lifestyle by their naughty neighbors. Their daring fling culminates in a party in which bed partners are chosen by the spin of a roulette wheel. As in most adults-only features of the time, not to mention studio ventures such as Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969), straying from traditional morals only gets everyone in trouble as tempers and jealousies flare. At the end, everyone goes back to their original partners and decency is restored. The generally prudish outlook of the "swinger" films finally reached its nihilistic culmination in David Cronenberg's vehement Shivers (1975). ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 31 min.
Directed By: Herschell Gordon Lewis, Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Genres: Drama, Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Dec 31, 1977 Wide
On DVD: Jun 10, 2003
Studio: Video Treasures

Critic Reviews

Vincent Canby, New York Times
Taking one step at a time, Mr. Fassbinder is exploring new methods of cinema narrative that are more original and daring than anything I've yet to see by film makers who call themselves avant-garde.
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
The camera seems much more interested in exploring the glass and chrome furnishings than in examining the characters, and by the time the film is finished, so is the audience.
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
Fassbinder's grinning, glittering comedy
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Excellent Fassbinder film from the director's Douglas Sirk-influenced period.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
A very gloomy melodrama.
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
A rigorous extrapolation of deception as a survival tactic, and a vicious indictment of victimhood, martyrdom and the games people will play in order to destroy one other.
Matt Bailey, Not Coming to a Theater Near You
Chinese Roulette is one of those films where you hate every single one of the characters yet can?t tear yourself away from them until you find out how they end up.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
just doesn't work

Read all 8 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]"Chinese Roulette" starts out with Gerhard Christ(Alexander Allerson) telling his wife, Ariane(Margit Carstensen), that he is leaving on a business trip to Oslo. He was telling the truth about going to the airport; just not the part about meeting his… More
[font=Century Gothic]"Chinese Roulette" starts out with Gerhard Christ(Alexander Allerson) telling his wife, Ariane(Margit Carstensen), that he is leaving on a business trip to Oslo. He was telling the truth about going to the airport; just not the part about meeting his French lover, Irene Cartis(Anna Karina), there and taking her to his mansion in the country. When they get there, they discover that Ariane and her lover, Kolbe(Ulli Lommel), are already horizontal. Surprisingly, everybody is pleasant to everybody else until the Christs' handicapped daughter, Angela(Andrea Schober), shows up with her governess, Traunitz(Macha Meril), in tow.[/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Chinese Roulette" is an intriguing, well-made movie about family and the responsibility parents have towards children, especially if they are handicapped. Material support is not enough; emotional care is even more important. The parents view Angela as some kind of monster(and it is debatable...), but if she is, it is only because of their neglect. [/font]