Madchen in Uniform

The German cinema of twenties and early thirties is one that was best known for being ahead of it's time and ahead of it's competitors such as America. From serial killers to futuristic cities to very disturbed doctors and misunderstood prostitutes, Germany lead the way in revolutionary cinema, pushing the envelope before there was even an envelope. Leontine Sagan's 1931 film Madchen in Uniform is no exception. This is one of the earliest films to explore homosexuality.
The film follows a young girl named Manuela von Meinhardis (Hertha Thiele), who is sent to an all girls boarding school by her aunt. Almost immediately Manuela seems to have a hard time adjusting to the new environment and things get even more complicated when she falls in love with her teacher Fraulein von Bernburg (Dorothea Wieck).
Tensions start to rise as the girls get frustrated by their poor treatment and grow even more tired of the headmistress's tyranny. Manuela especially targeted for severe punishment after an outburst she has declaring her love for Fraulein von Bernburg. As the alliance between the girls grow stronger the film leads to a harsh climax.
The thing that sets this film apart from the other boarding school rebellion movies like Vigo's Zero for Conduct or Anderson's if..., is that instead of rebelling by shooting automatic weapons into a crowd or throwing objects from the roof into a crowd, the girls in this film merely show the headmistress her tyranny first hand. A revelation that cuts deeper than any bullet wound.
Leontine Sagan uses every method of filmmaking at her disposal in this film. Most specifically the close-up. The close-up is used in abundance in this film to express the complex emotions going on with each character as they try to discover their love for each other and their severe hatred for the headmistress and her lackeys.
The film is a beautiful one that deals with the subject matter in a subtle tone and brings to life the characters in an intimate way. Blending cross cuts and close-ups in a backdrop of uniformity is quite stunning as the film moves along.
With all that being said, this film has not yet found a home on DVD. There is however a VHS copy available on amazon.com for $19.98 but that is still too much for a dead technology. I was able to view this film on YouTube in eight parts, but this film deserves to have a proper release on DVD, it is an important film that needs to be viewed.
Madchen in Uniform is a stunning film, that is erotic and powerful in all the right places. Yet another grand achievement, from that golden age of German cinema.