Today, medical shows like The Operation or Embarrassing Bodies are common. But in 1967, showing an erect penis (even in a clinical diagram), a tampon insertion, or a baby crowning was considered pornography.
Today, the legacy of Helga lives on primarily through YouTube. A search for the title yields a variety of results, ranging from restored full-length uploads to documentary essays analyzing its style.
Don’t let the soft name fool you. Helga is essentially a feature-length sex education film. Produced by Ernst R. G. Eckert, it was designed to be shown in adult education classes and select theaters. The film follows a young couple, Helga and her husband, from courtship through pregnancy and childbirth, using a mix of narrative scenes, animated diagrams, and—most famously—.