Mädchen in Uniform

I found this film to be both touching and disturbing. Innovative and bold, Madchen in Uniform exposes social taboos in its depiction of lesbianism and teacher-student relationships. Beyond the subject matter, I was impressed with the acting and camera work, which seemed to tell a story all on its own. The quality of the film was certainly poor and the subtitles leave much to question, but the overall effect of the film is poignant. It succeeds in lifting the veil which conceals adolescent female life and without exploiting the budding sexuality of young girls, a phenomenon too often seen in cinema today. It seems strange that this careful balance of exposition and preservation was better kept seventy years ago than it is today. Should this movie be re-made now, one would doubtless see nudity,stereotypical lesbian behavior and exploitation of the relationship between the student and teacher. This film reminds us that a film doesn't have to shock us to be sexually provacative.

This was more than a gay classic, this film was a social commentary on the time period it was set in. We all now well know the views held on homosexuality by Hitler's socialist party which was coming into power during the time this movie was made. The entire film foreshadowed many of the things that would happen to people who were not seen as desirable in the eyes of the German government. One part especially, where the students and teachers were forbidden to have contact with Manuela, spoke of the public shunning of Jews and other so-called undesirables who were forbidden contact with other people. Of the three movies that Leontine Sagan directed this was the only one made in Germany. Given the fact that Sagan was of Jewish ancestry and the main theme of this movie was of love between women, it's not hard to see why her career in Germany was short lived.

The original play "Gestern und Morgen" had its premiere in 1930 and was an immediate success. This prompted Carl Froelich to adapt the play for film. Both leading actress of the play Hertha Thiele (her first film) and the original director of the play Leontine Sagan (also her first film) were invited to join. The direction was split into direction of the cast and mise-en-scene by Leontine Sagan and overall direction by Carl Froelich; this means that Froelich was responsible for the overall quality of the film (in German: Künstleriche Oberleitung).

The play as well as the later novel emphasizes the sexual/lesbian love theme, but the film adaptation was toned down; the original sad end was replaced by a happy end. Though the film goes as far as it can in its theme of (awakening) lesbian feelings and sexual feelings of young girls in general, shifting emphasis automatically meant concentrating on the theme of the cold and inhumane authoritarian (Prussian) way of life and upbringing, a way of thinking still present in the Weimar republic and in 1931 already considered a danger to the young republic. Then audiences were more interested in this aspect than in the sexual one. Despite this it still remains a remarkable film of the Weimar period in depicting the more loosening attitude towards sexuality in general as well as the dismissal of the old authoritarian life style, though, and this is the weak point of the premise, it never succeeds- in relating the two. A political stand this film certainly takes not, but, as the original title "Yesterday and Tomorrow" says, this film makes a plea for a more liberal and humane society. Of course the film was banned after the Nazi take-over (though for some obscure reason Goebbels liked the film "as film").

The old way of thinking is shown in some remarkable images. The opening of the film, after some shots of Potsdam, shows first the marching of soldiers than cuts to a walk of the girls; the girls do not walk, but march as the soldiers do. The Prussian authority is represented by the Frau Oberin whose presence in the film is that like an average hard boiled Prussian king (and not unlike Frederick the Great, the king who was depicted in nationalist films in the 20' and 30's a number of times)); her hairdo is not simply a way to wear one's hair, it fits like a crown on her head. When she presides a meeting with the other teachers, she presides as a queen, sitting slightly above the level of the teachers. Fear for authority is conveyed through the Von Kenten character whose physical attitude constantly is that of a writhed of fear, human being.

Note the military trumpet in the final scene (one of the examples of the excellent use of sound) as Frau Oberin walks resigned through the corridor: there may have been a small relapse in the system within the institution, the trumpet tells us that outside things are still unchanged.

The direction of Sagan/Froelich and the cinematography are outstanding, but it could never have become the classic it is if both Hertha Thiele and Dorothea Wieck had not been in the lead. Photogenic Thiele plays Manuela as a sensitive, but still proud girl; Wieck gives the Von Bernburg character all the subtleties and uncertainties it needs. But let's not forget the completely forgotten actress Ellen von Schwannecke as a wonderful Ilse. Thiele and Wieck would repeat their co-operation in an amazing film by Frank Wysbar (one of the producers of "Mädchen"): Anna und Elisabeth (1933), also a film with a lesbian theme.

A very odd aspect is also noteworthy. The 4 main people involved can be divided in 2 sub groups: Hertha Thiele and Leontine Sagan went into exile in 1933 and were not to have a career after 1945 in West-Germany, while Dorothea Wieck and Carl Froelich (he became member of the NSDAP) continued their careers in Nazi Germany and after 1945. Convinced of it that involvement in this film also meant according its basic ideas (remember that it was not an established production company that made the film, but a collective), this split-up of minds can almost be seen as symbol for the schism in Germany.

For a complete understanding of this film and the play I recommend to read the novel as well.

Mädchen in Uniform This was a very bold film. It presents the controversies of lesbianism, teacher-student relationships, and antifascism in Germany in the 30's. The acting is of great quality. You don't need to know German to understand what's going on, even with out the subtitles. I find it interesting that feminine sexual powers are used throughout the film. The beloved teacher, Fräulein von Bernburg, uses her sexual powers to win the affection of the children, keeping them in check. During rehearsals for a play, one of the girls is told to use her feminine powers (to be more seductive) to play her part. Sex appeal is also mentioned in describing a movie star. The antifascism isn't blatant in the film, but in the opening scene, we see soldiers marching and then the schoolgirls marching, hinting at the hidden meaning. This film has a place in history and is worth seeing.

Although it would have been nice to see a well-restored and cleaned-up print of this, which was not the case, it still seems an exceptionally well made film for its era. The camera work was fluid and the sound was decent. It is a rich, provocative study with much to think about. While famously seen as a lesbian story, and that is part of it to be sure, it also concerns the rigid authoritarianism of its particular time and place, which soon led to so much sorrow and tragedy and sends out a strong feminist and tolerant message. The story is never boring and easily holds one's interest these many years later. It is strongly atmospheric and immerses one in the hothouse environs of the strictly disciplined, all-female world, where the girls develop close and intimate relationships and passionate crushes on their favorite teacher, Dorothea Wieck. She is fine here, and so is Hertha Thiele as Manuela, the primary focus of the story, but then the entire cast performs well, including Erika Mann, daughter of Thomas Mann and wife of W.H. Auden, as a bespectacled, tattle-tale instructor always running to the head of the school. The ending sent out a strong message and worked well, though you are left on your own to wonder how things resolved themselves as per the two lead characters. Well worthwhile to see if you can find it!