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Before watching "Mädchen in Uniform" I knew Romy Schneider only as "Sissi" and had absolutely no clue who Lilli Palmer was. First, I was suspicious: A German movie from the fifties? Should be another ridiculous comedy with a lot of colourful pictures and "funny" music. But what a surprise the drama was!

First of all: It was very courageous. If you think at the time the movie was shot in I find it courageus to make a drama about homosexuality and furthermore about a forbidden passion between a teacher and a student.

And then of course: Romy Schneider. In her young years she is best known for such ridiculous films as "Sissi" or "Wenn der weiße Flieder wieder blüht". But "Mädchen in Uniform" is the most remarkable one. There she shows: I am much more and more serious than you think and I am not just a nice little girl always looking pretty, lovely and smiling into the camera. I think, after she made this movie it was clear that she would make a great career because she is a gifted, exceptional actress.

And of course Lilli Palmer: Beautiful, proud, very lady-like, elegant and full of seriousness but very young at the same time. I'm out of words if it comes to describing her talent. But I think, you all agree if I say that she is one of the greatest German actresses.

A great movie, definetely one of the most important German dramas od the fifties and always worth remembering and watching it over and over again. Besides: There is some good taste of humour in it.

The plot of the movie revolves around the romantic feelings that schoolgirl Manuela develops for her same-sex teacher Madame (Freulein) Elizabeth von Bernburg in 1910 in a catholic boarding school in Prussia. Based on a biographically inspired play by German author Crista Winsloe it is foremost a critic of the old fashioned conservative beliefs that uses the unusual love story as the perfect all-in-one solution to reveal their ugly face. The schoolgirls, their hair tightly restrained, are marching in grey uniforms which are a sort of hybrid between a cooking apron and a military uniform. Deprivation from normal size meals and icy- toned communication are ways by which the Headmistress wants to achieve "zucht, ordnung und abhärtung". (Discipline, order and toughening up). She, the "Madame Superior", is a discipline fanatic that genuinely believes that if she is to fail in maintaining this rigorous regime with the girls, Prussia's own integrity will be at stake one day and anarchy will come to rein. Neither Manuela, nor Madame von Bernburg adhere to this ideology and so their mutual complicity is born. Manuela, the feeble, emotional child, that griefs over her recently deceased mother is the complete opposite of the expected "product" from this strict educational style. The authoritarian teacher is expected to produce though but obedient and submissive women which will make good wives and mothers of soldiers! (Ironically enough, the generation of young women that inspired the original story grew to become mothers of the Nazi soldiers in reality). Madame von Bernburg, on the other hand, is sensitive to the girls need for compassion and support. She shows affection in order to change the old ways that she was also submitted to when being a schoolgirl herself. In the historical era where this story takes place (the Weimar Republic), love between two women was unimaginable, let alone one between a student and it's teacher. The director Géza von Rdvanyi adds the age difference to this "outrageous story" by casting Romy Schneider (Manuela) and Lilli Palmer (Elizabeth von Bernburg) that have 22 years in between. The kiss, the steamy looks and the seemingly wide spread homosexuality subtly implied in most of the conversations between the girls is masterfully disguised as an innocent coming-of-age story. The attention is mainly put on the internal emotional experiences of Manuela, hers "head over hills" for the teacher, the admiration and love that can be divined from her every gesture and word. On the other hand, Ms. Von Bernburg character is more reserved and ambiguous. The Script is perfectly fitted, with no unnecessary ornaments and actresses are made to act naturally, which they do perfectly, with no displaced overdone drama that was common for the movies in the 60's. A noticeable decor in the movie are the quotes of famous authors inscribed as a sort of posters on the otherwise quite empty interior walls of the School. An excellent graphical display of the School's principles. "People exist on this world not to be happy, but to do their duty" "The School of life has no holydays" "We are here to become, not to be" "As the effort, so the harvest" The only one missing from the walls is "Kinder, Kirche, Küche" (Child, Church, Kitchen) presented as the correct destiny of women by the Headmistress. This unique film with its humor, drama and subtleness criticizes conservative practices, homophobia and even nationalism. It is a remarkable piece of art, which, with its modernity resembles to the contemporary movies in every aspect and seems to have been simply misplaced in time.

'It's a Romy Schneider film!', my mum said happily when she read the announcement in her TV guide. It is indeed, but I didn't quite dare inform my mum of the contents, seeing as she knew Romy only by the Sissi films. I love this film. I immediately fell in love with Lilli Palmer. Perhaps not as important or shocking as the 1931 version (yes, I have seen it) but still an interesting film. I especially like the outdoors shots in this film. The scene where Fräulein Von Bernburg gives Manuela one of her own shirts is lovely. I understood Romy Schneider was attempting to lose her Sissi image at the time. She succeeded in my opinion. My mum was somewhat surprised after watching it, but in the end she decided she liked it after all. So do I. Seven points out of ten.

Needless (very close, with a few more exterior shots) remake that doesn't have the impact or the passion of the 1931 film (for one thing, there are too few closeups), but does have its moments (I actually liked the new "first kiss" and found it more fitting) and retains its progressive, anti-establishment spirit. The original remains the priority viewing, but this remake is far from a disgrace. *** out of 4.

In the endless row of remakes in the 50's of successes of the 20' and 30's this one may have been the oddest. What is basically a harsh, sensitive but never sentimental play, qualities that remained in the remarkable film version of 1931, has become a trivial drama. It starts with the credits; in it it is stated that the film is based on a play by Winsloe called "Rittter Nerestani"; this original title was already obsolete at the Berlin premiere and changed into "Gestern und Morgen", thereby stressing the object of the play: a plea for a more liberal society. But in the 50's German society of Adenauer's credo "No experiments" this plea was not possible.

Some odd changes have been made vis-à-vis the play and the film version of 1931. The character of Von Kenten, symbol of the fear for authority, has been replaced by a nondescript character who hates Elisabeth von Bernburg; why she hates her, is not made clear at all. Frau Oberin was changed from a symbol of Prussian authority into a bitter old lady who is only the way she is, because she had some bitter experiences in life. The scandal that arises when Manuela is drunk and speaks out, is brought about by petty jealousy of one of the girls (Alexandra). Noteworthy is also that, when Ilse is banned from partaking in Romeo and Juliet, she cheerfully helps another girl to learn the part, in stead of, as in the 1931 version, packing her suitcase to leave the institution; in other words: hardly any rebellion here. The reconciliation near the end is just silly. What this all amounts to is that the play in this adaptation is melodrama. However, unlike some critics, I do not think the lesbian theme is further toned-down, it is simply represented in another way to be acceptable to an 1950's mainstream audience.

There is nothing against an stirring melodrama, but also in this department the film fails. That is: Radvanyi's direction is adequate but without inspiration. At moments he tries to give scenes extra strength with shadows and light (there is a nice shot of Schneider in the dark on her bed), but it is not sufficient. He is not helped much by the two leading actresses. Romy Schneider has her moments (her first serious part after the Sissi-series), but in general fails to convey any emotion and she surely plays quite another Manuela than Hertha Thiele in the 1931 version. Lilli Palmer, who thought she could do anything, is a terrible mis-cast as Von Bernburg: she is not the woman in her mid-20's having trouble with her emotions. All scenes between Schneider and Palmer miss spark.