Ulrike Ottinger's adventure in female piracy is brilliantly costumed and playful in its swashbuckling earnestness. It is also a unique discourse on women and power--a jarring if jovial display of women who allow themselves the rituals of power associated with male dominance. Madame X, as the title indicates, is "an absolute ruler," according to Ottinger "a harsh, pitiless beauty...a charismatic personality consumed with narcissism...." From her pirate junk, "Orlando," Madame X sends out a communique to the women of the world promising gold, love and adventure as an antidote to the safety of their unbearably boring existence. In a wildly humorous sequence, the word gets out: Flora Tannenbaum, German forest ranger, finds the message in her newspaper; Betty Brillo, the Ohio housewife, comes across it in her shopping cart; the Italian model, Miss Blow-Up, receives the message on her car telephone.... and so on. All converge on the "Orlando," and prepare to do battle in a ritualized, totally aestheticized violence with those who organize against them. German critic Karsten Witte writes, "In stark contrast to the gentleness of other feminist films, Madame X turns its back on such works that promise women 'love without trouble'.... This film shows no trace of timidity...."