Madchen in Uniform

February is a month known for many things, at least here in America anyway. It's a month in which we highlight black history, honor past heroes and forefathers like Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr, and Washington. February is usually equated with love, affection, and romance as well and its those sentiments that drive us to our subject today. A film that was groundbreaking for many reasons and one that utilized tried and true techniques in fresh new ways.

So if you're like me and you enjoy film and the impact and emotions they convey, then grab a glass of your preferred liquid and join me for the next little while. For me, that's a glass if merlot from our friends at Beringer Winery in California. So sit back, relax, and let's talk about the love of film. Welcome to Glazed Cinema.

Welcome back to Glazed Cinema, I'm happy to see you back again. I'm excited for another season to dive into some great films together. After concluding Season Two I had to start thinking about this season and luckily for me, the first episodes came to me fairly quickly thanks to the calendar. February is known for romance and I started listing out movies highlighting love and affection. It didn't take me long to land on our subject today.

Madchen in Uniform is a film about a teenaged girl named Manuela, who is sent to boarding school after the untimely death of her mother. The school is run by a cold head-mistress. The atmosphere of the school reflects the leader's rule and is oppressive and restraining. Upon arriving she is at first shy, reserved, quiet, and at odds with the bead-mistress. Upon meeting a young teacher named Elizabeth von Bernburg she begins to open up a bit more. As the two women become closer an attraction begins to grow, but with it comes the attention of the tyrannical headmistress.

Madchen in Uniform was directed by Leontine Sagan, who was also a trained actress before turning to directing. She was one of the first female directors in Europe, making her directorial debut with our subject today. Using the play of "Yesterday and Today" by Crista Winslow as inspiration, Sagan brings attention to themes of feminism, lesbian rights, and anti-fascism.

When she began directing her first feature, German Expressionism was still very much in fashion in her native Austria. However, her film breathed new life into it, resulting in a very different experience aesthetically. To illustrate this clearly, let's talk about this movement in a traditional sense for a bit. Now, I've talked about this genre in past episodes, so if you're a frequent listener or a fan of the genre, you may already be familiar with the movement.

As one of the earliest film movements in cinematic history, German Expressionism was the catalyst to many iconic and influential films. Among some of the trademarks of the movement was the contrast used to create a world view inside each film. This was done through the iconic usage of light and shadow and odd camera angles, which helped to create unique atmospheres. Set designs also helped with the atmosphere as well, with dramatic backdrops. A lot of the subject matter was somewhere in the realm of dark, horrific, oppressive, brooding, or otherworldly. They also usually depicted male protagonists dealing with some sort of existential problem, be it madness, loss of identity, or coping with the violent world around them.

The reasons behind those themes is understandable as well, at least if you think about the time. After all, the height of German Expressionism was in the 1920s. The Great War had just ended and the outcome was grim to say the least. Several countries in Europe were destitute and in ruin, the horrors of the war had begun to reach the psyche of average citizens, and ex-soldiers were home, coping with their experiences, and trying to adjust to civilian life once again.

By the time filming of our subject today began however, it was 1930...a full decade after the movements beginnings. Europe and the world itself were in a different state of being. Apart from that though, this film had something none of its predecessors did. A female director was leading the effort and with her came a new vision. It also stars an all female cast, which also separates it from almost every other film made to that point in time. Even though this film was made using German Expressionism techniques, it's wholly different in almost every regard and purposefully so.

In Madchen in Uniform, we see the iconic contrast of light and shadow being used throughout. Instead of the technique highlighting fear or dread like so many of the films before it, here it highlights tenderness and fragility. No better example of this can be seen than when the two lead characters are together. Their faces become more lit, the background more harsh, almost to suggest that when they're together, nothing else matters.

The story takes place inside of an all girls female boarding school. Run by Headmistress , the rules are strict and the atmosphere suffocating. Many things are banned in the school including books and letters sent from the female student body are read prior to sending to ensure that certain information is not found out. The headmistress is fugal to see the absolute least and doesn't tens to the students' needs very well. They are fed little, given uniforms handed down, only replaced when deemed unwearable, and kept under the headmistresses' tyrannical thumb.

The film is told quite wonderfully and is very fluid. It's shot beautifully and the performances feel very natural to me. It does have a sense of uniqueness to it as it breaks the norms of German Expressionism, while still playing by the rules somehow.

The film stars two women as the central characters of the plot, both of whom churn out stellar performances. Hertha Theile plays the leading role of Manuela. Manuela is a fourteen year old girl, who is brought to her boarding school by her aunt. A daughter of a military man, her aunt feels that since the loss of her mother, Manuela could use more structure, education, and mentoring from a female influence. Manuela is an emotional girl, who cries often, and makes friends with a fiery young girl named Ilse. Soon Manuela fits right in and becomes friends with almost everyone.

The other central character is Fraulein Bernburg, played by Dorothea Wieck. Miss Von Bernburg is a teacher and one of the students' favorites. She is sympathetic, caring, and allows the students freedoms, while being fair. She is also one of the youngest and certainly the most forward thinking of them all. She sticks up for her students and is able to balance structure with understanding. This, along with her looks makes her the most popular teacher in school.

Manuela and Von Bernburg seem to hit it off right away during their first meeting. Albeit brief, there seems to be a spark there. This attraction develops and each become smitten, though they keep it hidden well from the rest of the school. Afterall, teacher student relationships are forbidden and Von Bernburg would like to ensure the other students feel that they are all equal. Of course, the popular teacher plays a bigger role than that in the story. It's hard to explain this, but as much as von Bernburg feels like a real woman, she also feel like an idea and the headmistress feels much the same to me.

Both women are leaders in the school and each co-exist together, while regularly opposing each other. For me these women are not only characters in the plot, by ideals, meant to demonstrate a veiled theme. I see the headmistress as a symbol of oppression, leading with an iron fist, bending others for her own will. We see this in her actions, words, and demeanor. She is totalitarianism. Von Bernburg symbolizes righteousness, taking action for the betterment of others, leading through a fair and moral code. She is freedom.

Interestingly enough, totalitarianism gives way to freedom as the headmistress recognizes that von Bernburg is one of her best teachers. That all changes however when Manuela has a bit too much of a spiked punch during a school party and her relationship with the teacher becomes the scandal of the school. As von Bernburg's reputation declines, the headmistress begins tightening the screws of the school, allowed to be loose as freedom becomes jeopardized.

This film has had quite the influence in cinema and outside if it as well. Madchen in Uniform boasts a lot if firsts. It was the first full length feature directed by a woman, the first film with an all female cast, the first film to portray a lesbian love story at its center, and it was the first film to show a kiss between two women attracted to one another. I word the latter of those firsts for a very specific reason. It would be inaccurate to say that Madchen in Uniform was the first film to show two women kissing as an earlier film, has that distinction. However, in that film the meaning is very different as the two women are not attracted to each other. In our subject today that subtext is there and highlights a major breakthrough in film for the lesbian and LGBTQ community.

One of my favorite scenes is when von Bernburg is leading a class where the students are taking turns reading a excerpt aloud. While listening and monitoring Bernburg begins to day dream. We see this as she looks out over the students and Manuela's face begins to come into focus, translucently covering her view of the classroom until she's snapped out of it. It's a simple technique that speaks volumes about something we're all familiar with...attraction. I love that scene for it's delivery, but also as it's really the first time we see that the feeling Manuela has is mutual.

Another great scene is when Bernburg is arguing with the headmistress and defending herself and Manuela. At this point in the film the scandal is known and both parties are feeling pressure form the powers that be. The headmistress states that what they've done is sinful, to which Bernburg retorts, "What you call sin Headmistress, I call the great spirit of love which takes on a thousand forms."

The fact that this film boasts so many firsts is simply incredible. After its release, it opened up a lot of doors and sparked conversations around the world. It was celebrated in many parts of Europe, including Germany upon it's release, which I found particularly interesting. It wasn't until I did some research though that I found something really fascinating. Something that hopefully you too, find some intrigue.

When I think of Germany in the early thirties the classic analogy, the calm before the storm comes to mind. Admittedly though, I didn't know too much about the country during this time. What was it like, but specifically, what was it like for the homosexual community? Well, let me tell you, it was not what I expected. A lot of that had to do with the time period of the early thirties, which was toward the end of an era called the Weimar Republic. Believe it or not, around 1930 and 1931, Germany was quite liberal and forward thinking. There was also a thriving homosexual community, especially in metropolitan cities like Berlin. To give you an idea, there were more than seventy bars for the queer community in Berlin alone.

A lot of that was thanks to strides the government made in providing freedoms to its citizens. By the time the 30s arrived, there were homosexual magazines like Der Eigene and Die Freundin being sold at newsstands across the country. A man named Magnus Hirschfeld came up a lot in my research and for good reason. He was a tremendous sctivist for his community, fighting for equal rights and defending the LGBTQ community against persecution. He founded the world's first gay rights organization, The Scientific-Humanitarian Committee. He also founded The Institute for Sexual Science, which presented scientific evidence that gender and sexuality existed on a spectrum, which was the first institute of its kind. He also founded the World League for Sexual Reform, which was an activist organization for the queer community. All this to say, Mr. Hirschfeld was pretty amazing and took great strides to build understanding and acceptance of homosexuality and cultivated a space for the LGBTQ community.

Despite these great strides and breakthroughs, not everyone was as receptive. This film caused a lot of waves upon its release in 1931, which led to negative reactions. It was quite controversial for the time, because it was so unique and so forward thinking. Many countries banned the film or had it altered to fit censorship laws. In fact, it was nearly banned here in America when it arrived on her doorstep in 1931 as well. There was one person who saved the film from being blacklisted. A woman who upon watching the film, saw the message within and fought for it. The first lady of New York, Eleanor Roosevelt spoke highly of it and fought for its release, which resulted in a censored version getting limited showing around the country.

In 1933, the evolution gained in freedoms began to be repressed with the arrival of the Nazi Party. All the magazines, communities, freedoms of expression for homosexuals unfortunately all but completely vanished a few years later. Mr. Hirschfeld, fled to Switzerland after repeated beatings, interruptions to his lectures, and other oppressive acts. For cinema, film stock of previous years that didn't fit Hitler's agenda or were deemed too progressive were destroyed. Madchen in Uniform unfortunately was one of these films. It only survived due to film stock being kept elsewhere in the world.

Though it survived, it was still heavily censored to the public around the world through the second world war and in some cases, including the United States, the uncensored version wasn't shown until the 1970's. Since that emergence, however, Madchen in Uniform has become a great symbol and cornerstone for not just lesbian expression, but for the expression of the entire LGBTQ community. Though not known by many, Madchen in Uniform is an important work for cinematic, LGBTQ, and feminist expression. It's a wonderful and entertaining film that I hope you watch and enjoy.

If you'd like to watch Madchen in Uniform for yourself, you can find it on a couple streaming services. At the time of this recording you can find it on Kino Cult. Kino Cult is a free streaming service from our friends at Kino Lorber with a nice variety of film offerings ranging from the serious, the subversive, the odd, and the underground variety.

You can also find it on Plex. Plex is a free service from Cineplex and offers a diverse catalog of offerings.

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