#girls in uniform 1931

[blacknekolucky]

Hi can somebody give me sapphic film recommendations? I want something new to watch and I am out of ideas

[neoyan]

Mädchen in Uniform Directors Leontine Sagan • Carl Froelich

[spellboundcinema]

[flowersandfashion]

I am not really there

Marya Hornbacher, Madness: A Bipolar Life /// Ramon Casas, Laziness, c1898-1900 /// Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar /// Edward Hopper, Morning Sun, 1952 /// Gail Honeyman, Elinor Oliphant is Completely Fine /// Reynier Llanes, The Poet, 2021 /// Anaïs Nin, The Diary of Anaïs Nin, 1931–1934 /// Amy Dury, Glasgow Girl 2, 2019 /// Rebecca Ross, Divine Rivals /// Adrienne Gaha, Blue Uniform, 2016

[warningsine]

Good post op.

For those interested, here are some such films to know herstory:

"Mädchen in Uniform" (1931)

"Anna and Elizabeth" (1933)

"All about Eve" (1950)

"Olivia" (1951)

"Mädchen in Uniform" (1951), dir. Géza von Radványi

"Girls in Uniform" (1951), dir. Alfredo B. Crevenna

"No Exit" (1954)

"The Girl with the Golden Eyes" (1961)

"Walk on the Wild Side" (1962)

"The Nun" (1966)

"Persona" (1966) (yes, I'm including it)

"Belle de Jour" (1967)

"Les Biches" (1968)

"The Killing of Sister George" (1968)

"Baby Love" (1969)"

"The Exquisite Cadaver" (1969)

"The Vampire Lovers" (1970)

"Daughters of Darkness" (1971)

"The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant" (1972)

"The Beguines" (1972)

"Successive Slidings of Pleasure" (1974)

"Twice a Woman" (1979)

"Desert Hearts" (1985)

"I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing" (1987)

"Betty" (1992)

"Les Voleurs" (1996)

"8 Women" (2002)

"Nathalie…" (2003)

"Night Fangs" (2005)

"Backstage" (2005)

"Pretty Persuasion" (2005)

"Loving Annabelle" (2006)

"The Page Turner" (2006)

"Notes on a Scandal" (2006)

"Bandaged" (2009)

"Chloe" (2009), American remake of "Nathalie…"

"Cracks" (2009)

"Gigola" (2010)

"Bloomington" (2010)

"A Perfect Ending" (2012)

"Concussion" (2013)

"Nymphomaniac: Vol. II" (2013) (going controversial with this one)

"Tru Love" (2013)

"Clouds of Sils Maria" (2014)

"Sand Dollars" (2014)

"The Duke of Burgundy" (2014)

"Unexpected" (2014)

"4.48" (2014)

"Carol" (2015)

"Freeheld" (2015)

"Summertime" (2015)

"AWOL" (2016), dir. Deb Shoval

"Bird of Prey" (2016)

"Foreign Body" (2016)

"Allure" (2017)

"Atomic Blonde" (2017)

"Daphne du Maurier: In Rebecca’s Footsteps" (2017)

"The Party" (2017)

"You, Me and Him" (2017)

"Lizzie" (2018)

"The Favourite" (2018)

"Suspiria" (2018)

"The Bisexual" (2018)

"Clementine" (2019)

"Greta" (2019) (anon's* choice ❤️)

"Saint Maud" (2019)

"Ammonite" (2020)

"I Care a Lot" (2020)

"T11 Incomplete" (2020)

"Take Me Home" (2020)

"Parallel Mothers" (2021)

"Vigil" (2021)

"Benedetta" (2021)

"Anaïs in love" (2021)

"Eileen" (2023)

"May December" (2023)

Some of them are subtextual, some of them explicit, some--to use Tumblr's favorite word--problematique, some do not revolve around romance, some are cinematic masterpieces, some utter trash.

*Edit:

Ok, I laughed out loud, but on second thought? #valid

[yesornopolls]

The first explicitly lesbian film (PG-13) is Mädchen in Uniform (1931). It's based on real events of Christa Winsloe the writer. Cast: only women & girls. Greatly recommended both the film & Christa Winsloe. Poll: Have you watched Mädchen in Uniform (1931)?

[lorilambe]

"Every girl gets a smooch."

Mädchen in Uniform

Leontine Sagan, Carl Froehlich

1931

[celluloidrainbow]

MÄDCHEN IN UNIFORM (1958) dir. Géza von Radványi A remake of the 1931 film. After the death of her mother in 1910, Manuela von Meinhardis is sent to a boarding school at Potsdam that is run under rigid Prussian discipline by the authoritarian headmistress. The only teacher to show her sympathy is Miss von Bernburg, who disagrees with the militaristic regime at the school and encourages the girls' self-expression through the arts. All Manuela's affection is therefore poured out on the attractive Miss von Bernburg, but it's only a matter of time before said forbidden love becomes known... (link in title)

[sylvia-und-sybille]

Women in menswear :D

(the shirt, at least):

Sybille from (Sylvia und Sybille)

(2023–2024 Dresden State Theatre, modern version of Christa Winsloe's unpublished play of 1931 or so, rewritten by Daniela Löffner.)

Photo: Sebastian Hoppe (Sybille with her beloved girlfriend Sylvia)

(I've been thinking about this from time to time for several weeks, but have decided to check for whom the shirt is made only now.)

Synopsis (read all below and if you like it, please, join shipping with me): modified reality of almost 14 year-old girl* the writer (16 instead) and a friend's Mum.) Fast-paced love story which started as a bond during first meeting. (But Mum's son is in love with the girl (who thinks about him as a friend only) and jealous.) I love it sooo much. If add happy end, then (♡‿♡) Also: real version of this is in Mädchen in Uniform (1931) book Das Mädchen Manuela; because Sylvia is the same Manuela the writer Christa.

*The girl had an older brother (who had a girlfriend) and their Mum died not long ago, but alcoholic father is no help, and the girl blamed him for Mum's death. (In reality, Christa didn't blame father, but his shouting and selfishness led to Katharina Winsloe's death; apart from she needed to do a lot at home after moving in a new house.)

Sybille had a husband who died recently, so it makes her bisexual (hopefully, she had romantic feelings for him, or the marriage was forced by society and it's one big no, and then she isn't bi), but Sylvia is lesbian (in the detailed description of the play, it's said that unlike other teenagers, the greeving girl hadn't had romantic feelings for anybody before Sybille.)

○○○○○

PROOF OF THE SHIRT

(if not to try to understand where the buttons are sewn): either: A. if imagine a shirt as two parts, the top one or a"flap" is left in case of men's shirts | buttoned jackets etc., or B. free space in-between of buttons can be used as a hand warmer, and in case with men's clothes with buttons, right hand can "go in." (I used B too many times to count.) . . .

. . . or . . . (a random picture via Google images)

[christas-museum]

Christa Winsloe's 135th anniversary

Happy Birthday, Chris! (23.12.1888, 135 in 2023)

Chris(ta): ✓ writer | playwright | feuilleton writer (famous for the semi-autobiographical film about Manuela titled Mädchen in Uniform (1931), or full (with a lot of changes), the book Das Mädchen Manuela which is known in English as The Child Manuela [READ], ✓ high-level sculptor (famous for animal sculptures), ✓ high-level pencil artist, smart, could crack a joke, ✓ French Resistance member, ✓ loved women very much (it all started mainly with a much older cruel fellow school girl at a school in Metz when Chris was 9 (Tina? as own short name since the beginning) . . .

. . . and women and girls love dich decades later (forever and ever) and grateful very, very much.

ALL HAIL, CHRISTA KATE WINSLOE!

NOTE: the picture is a double edit (Chris deserves to smile, so . . .)

(Liebes Chris, sorry for red which isn't thy favourite colour, but it's Android emoji.)

EDIT: Actually, red is no is about flowers only.

[indie-queer-movie-tournament]

6 & 21 & 29 for the ask game!

6) A film released before 1970

I think 1970 is the earliest date of any movie in this tournament (The Conformist/Il conformista) and I haven't seen it so I'll maybe sort of cheat and say Girls in Uniform/Mädchen in Uniform (1931) since I have seen that. It was kind of just OK. Really interesting from a historical perspective though! (Film history or queer German history.) It wasn't eligible for the tournament since it's not technically indie but for the sake of being able to answer here, close enough.

21) A film with a great needledrop/soundtrack/score

I'll be honest, I rarely notice scores, just really bad at auditory processing stuff I think. So I'm sure other people will have a more insightful answer for this question (feel free to comment!) I think I'll go with Hedwig and the Angry Inch though since it's one of my favourite musicals and a really great movie with banger after banger in the album.

29) A film to feel good/uplifted

ooooh good question.... I think it's The Way He Looks/Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho. Just a really nice, sweet movie.

[dorothea-wieck]

Mädchen in Uniform (1931): an incredible fact

In absence of new DW photos, here's a semi-accidental discovery. (How to: the poster of this wanted to find (again) the actress (a pupil) from MiU who lived until at least 1992. As it turned out, she lived longer, but her acting career had lasted until 1992.)

So, it's known for some fans that Ellen Schwanneke who played Ilse von Westhagen was older than Ilse's dormitory's teacher, Elisabeth von Bernburg who was played by Dorothea Wieck. Ellen: 11 of August, 1906, DW: 3rd of January, 1908. (At least one post here = i.e. a separate post, plus maaaybe comments to one or more posts; therefore more than one.)

24 or 25 (!) years old played 14-years-old. And believable, too, in terms of age.

23 year old DW the teacher looking definitely like a teacher.

By the way, Erika Mann (Thomas Mann's daughter & Heinrich Mann's niece) was 25, turned 26 in late 1931 (9 November 1905), and it was hard to believe (i.e. older, but lesbians and other women and girls who are into women like this fact.) She played Fräulen von Attems, drama teacher or somebody like this (she was the one responsible for the school play.)

But this is NOT ALL. The actress in question is *drum roll* Doris Thalmer, the one who played a pupil, Marie von Ecke (mostly called Mariechen by other pupils.)

"Doris Thalmer (20 July 1907 – 9 October 1998) was a German actress. She appeared in more than 75 films and television shows between 1931 and 1992." (c) Wikipedia

She played in few the same films at least one TV Series where DW played too (but different episodes, as far is understandable after first reading without checking.)

So, Doris was 23 or 24; thus, older than "Elisabeth von Bernburg" the teacher (more than 5 months in-between), AND she lived up to the time when some of the current fans of the film (who discovered it in 21st century) were in early childhood (the poster of this turned 6, and Doris was still here :) )

"Mariechen" lived for 91(!) years and the oldest actress of pupils of all whose date of birth is known.

BONUS (the brain of the poster's has remembered this): another Doris is Doris Hermanns, an incredible researcher who (among other results) wrote two books about Christa Winsloe—the person we all need to thank for the existence of Mädchen in Uniform universe.

N O T E: to know or see more (including a post with the gif), click at any tag related to any of the actresses as the blog has various posts about each of them. 

[estereonfilm]

Defying and Complying With the Tropes — Mädchen in Uniform (1931) Leontine Sagan and Carl Froelich

Film review

Defying and Complying With the Tropes — Mädchen in Uniform (1931) Leontine Sagan and Carl Froelich

By Estere Gaile

February 25, 2024

While the boys are off to the army, the girls march into school.

Echoes of student voices fall and wrap around the winding staircase of the Prussian all-girl boarding school. As everyone rushes to lunch, Manuela von Meinhardis has just arrived to be set on the path of becoming a proper young girl — disciplined, unfazed and conservative. But she emerges as an antithesis to all these adages. A mere 14 (and a half) year old girl who is grieving the death of her mother; she is hungry for the absent love and tenderness that are both forbidden at the school along with any kind of personal possessions such as books and clothes. The institutional enclosure set forth by both norms and walls is conspicuous and not new to us — it is the thematic centre of queer boarding school films. Mädchen in Uniform (1931) demonstrates the often inextricable link between this subgenre and repression, while at the same time enveloping the viewer in the alluring tension that this link creates before finally severing it.

The institutionally imposed low spirit does not go unchallenged.  As a consolation, there is a light, Fräulein von Bernburg, a governess at the school, around whom the girls flock. She is strict but kind — every girl has a crush on her. Manuela grows infatuated with her instantly. Yet the affection offered by the governess cannot be expressed in the corridors where conservatism creeps. So it is contained on all sides by the establishment and obscured in the shadows of bedrooms and hallways. Like the words exchanged between Manuela and von Bernburg, which only hint at the radical ideas present in the film. That’s the allure of it — peering into someone's life when that someone can't fully live it. It is mysterious, enticing and very sad. 

Elements such as quiet conversation, poetry, choir,  and the most deviant of all — theatre (Manuela plays Don Carlos, the Prince of Asturias) embellish the film. Such things in themselves are reminiscent of queer boarding school films. Later, Manuela and von Bernburg even share a kiss, yet it is unclear whether the affection given by the teacher grows from a place of pity or lust for the schoolgirl. Nevertheless, this is the impetus for Manuela's undoing (in the eyes of the headmistress) or her enlightenment (in the eyes of everyone else). She grows impassioned and cannot bear to be restrained any longer. The most depressing trope, at last — she attempts to take her own life, implying that freedom of choice is better than suffering endlessly under someone else's rules. But Manuela is saved — by her schoolmates, and perhaps by the spirit that was kindled by von Bernburg. The panoptic view held by the headmistress is not all-powerful, the girls are confined, but not in cells. The mind and spirit reach out from the darkness into the light. The suicide trope is notably defied and the tension is broken. A relief, however brief, is offered to the viewer. 

At the end of Mädchen in Uniform, the headmistress walks slowly down the stairs. Gradually, she strips the halls and the walls of the heaviness that had covered them. The film provokes the expectations of the boarding school setting and the repression it entails. The revolutionary spirit rises up along the spiral staircase in a moment of chatter and cheers. The girls in uniform leave us with that — a slight sliver of hope.

[deviantly-seasoned]

Mädchen in Uniform (Girls in Uniform) is a 1958 French-West German romantic drama film directed by Géza von Radványi and based on the play (credited here as "Ritter Nérestan") by Christa Winsloe. It is a remake of the 1931 film.

One of my favourites 🤪

[qteeclown]

I wonder if the girl who came up to tell me that she loves my "whole entire vibe" knows that I only bought this dress because it reminds me of the ones they wear in mädchen in uniform 1931

[inapat16]

Similar stories of girls in uniform: 4. Overview of lesbian representation in boarding school movies

In the previous articles, we saw multiple innovative movies about the representation of lesbians through boarding school films. This type of movies was one of the first tolerated ways to depict lesbianism on screens because the relationship between two women was not always explicit and the scriptwriters could play on the confusion with a strong admiration for a role model or even with a substitute mother. However, we saw that some of these films were still rather explicit about their subject, but it came with a problematic vision of romantic relationships: a teacher taking advantage of her position to seduce under-age girls.

Over time, it has become a little more common to present lesbian stories in cinema, even if it is still quite rare. While the types of stories have diversified, some rather recent releases continue to pay tribute to the boarding school film genre. The 2006 release Loving Annabelle, directed by Katherine Brooks, re-adapt the entire story of Olivia and Young girls in uniform, but make the story incredibly explicit as the teacher and the student end up sleeping together, and the teacher being condemned by the law for it. Another movie and surely a better one, Lost and Delirious, released in 2001 and directed by Léa Pool, finally presents a vision of love between two students. Answering to the codes of the teen movie genre, it is a bit surprising that it took so many years to have the story focusing on the relationship of two female boarders. But considering the difficulties of the time, like the code Hays that firstly made the Children’s Hour story heterosexual, these movies were still a first step towards the representation of lesbians in cinema.

There was a time when one of the only ways to cross paths with Sapphic stories was through autobiographical inspired literature, written by female authors, and many movies came from their adaptations. We talked about Gestern und heute by Christa Winsloe in 1930, and about Olivia by Dorothy Bussy in 1949, but it is funny to observe that it is more common than what it first appears. Another example is French literary superstar Colette, who expresses all her feelings as a young teenager in Claudine in 1900, including her joy at spending time at her school with "Mademoiselle Aimée", whose name simply means "Miss loved".

If the boarding school movies were important to develop the representation of lesbians in cinema, we can now demand beautiful and ethical stories about Sapphic romances, and ones that don’t even solve with the death of one of the protagonists! We can however still be grateful for their existence at a time where they were essential: for example, Mädchen in uniform, released in 1931, became cult in the LGBT community. We can also feel the need to know and to preserve that history of queerness in cinema with the recent restorations of Olivia and Mädchen in uniforms. It is thanks to that work of preservation of the past that we can build the cinema of tomorrow.

Zoé Richard