Directors first half of the 20th century
This section reviews films and directors from the first half of the 20th century, especially the early days of sound film.
Before reviewing the film, we'll watch it, so the page will fill up as we become available in a Romance language or English.
Leontine Sagan y "Muchachas en Uniforme" (Mädchen in Uniform)
Germany, 1931
The film is about the strict system of education and life within a girls' boarding school in the Prussian region. It begins with a series of images of the boarding school's architecture, which primarily highlights its military spirit. To emphasize this, we see the students walking, or rather parading, in their striped uniforms through a garden.
The protagonist is Manuela, a teenager who has just lost her mother and is taken to this institution by her aunt. The place is practically a military institute for girls, since, according to the headmistress, its mission was to teach women and mothers of soldiers. However, there is a teacher (as opposed to the strict headmistress) who is close to the students, which in some cases, especially with Manuela, generates platonic bonds that go beyond the simple teacher-student relationship. Despite this, the film only touches on lesbian themes and focuses more on the lack of affection and the inflexible discipline to which the girls are subjected. The film's rhythm is provided by the supporting characters, a group of girls who don't attack each other, but rather form a sisterhood that protects and supports one another. Interestingly, the uniforms were striped, very similar to those later used in concentration camps.
King Vidor y Halleluya!
EEUU 1929
Musical drama about the misadventures of Zeke, an African-American cotton farmer.
The action begins when he and his family (made up of his parents, his siblings and Missy Rose, a girl adopted by his mother) are finishing the cotton harvest. Zeke sets off with his brother Spunk to the river port, where cotton was weighed and compacted for transport across the river. There, he meets Chick, a prostitute who fascinates him. Along with her pimp, Hot Shot, she swindles Zeke at a dice game and when Zeke goes to question her, a fight breaks out, in which Zeke shoots and mortally wounds Spunk.
Zeke returns home with his dead brother, there he has a mystical impulse that leads him to become a preacher. His bad luck (and his bad decisions) haunt him. As a pastor, he again encounters Chick, who believes she's undergoing a religious conversion at the hands of Zeke. She follows him in his sermons. However, Zeke surrenders to her and runs away with her, leaving behind his family and Missy Rose, whom he had married.
Time passes, and we meet Zeka again, now as a factory worker, living with Chick, who is already bored with the life she leads with him. Fortunately for her, Hot Shot appears, with whom she agrees to run away. During their escape, they are pursued by Zeka; Chick falls from the carriage and dies; Zeka chases Hot Shot and kills him. Zeka goes to jail, serves his sentence, and returns to his family and Missy Rose, who welcome him back with joy like a prodigal son. End
While one could say that the film has the structure of a hero's journey, it's worth focusing on the details: first, they're all African-American; there are no white people; it's a world apart; the music and the group scenes are full of musicality and naturalness. The scene in which Zeka abandons her family to run away with Chick is noteworthy; it's a haunting concerto with lead vocals and a choir; the femme fatale, personified by Chick, becomes the diabolical presence and trigger of the film's tragedies (almost a Carmen).
Jean Renoir y La Chienne
Francia 1931
The film is about Maurice Legrand, an apathetic cashier and amateur painter, with a monotonous life and a woman (Adéle) who only spoke to him to insult him and criticize his paintings while praising her first husband (Sergeant Alexis Goddard) who died in the First World War.
Returning from a meal with other painters, Legrand sees a couple arguing. The woman (Lulú) is being beaten by her drunken boyfriend (Dedé). Legrand goes to her defense and falls in love with her. A little time later, Lulí is Legrand´s mistress, job which included an apartment (paid for with petty thefts from her job). This is where Legrand hangs his paintings, which he curiously doesn't sign. Lulú, who is actually a prostitute, continues to support her pimp, Dedé, he unable to get enough money from her, takes the paintings, offers them to a gallery owner, and invents a fictitious painter, the American Clara Wood. Soon, Legrand finds his paintings on display in a gallery, at quite high prices. However, such was his level of submission to Lulú that he doesn't ask for further explanations.
Now comes the plot twist, Legrand meets a tramp who turns out to be his wife's dead husband, who is not a resurrected Lazarus, but a scoundrel who escaped from the war under a false name, was imprisoned and now dedicates himself to vagrancy. This resurrected man has only come to collect his payment from Legrand for the transfer of Adéle, who is at first surprised and then with great ingenious, he convinces the sergeant that it is fair that he take his share of Adéle's savings, he tells him that they will be gone one night, so that he can enter and take the money. As it is easy to guess, this is a trick planned by Legrand,when Goddard arrives that night, Legrand has not gone out and when seargent enters, his wife, full of terror, calls the neighbors, who get into the house, Adéle recognizes him and Legrand, in a very solemn manner, declares that Goddard's rights are above his.
Later we see Legrand who comes out singing and praising his freedom, his joy vanishes when he arrives at the apartment he rents for Lulu and finds her with Dede. This scene is very interesting, first, it is very reminiscent of Zola's "Nana" when Count Muffat surprises her with a small-time comedian, and second, from a filming point of view, because instead of showing the characters from the inside, it moves away from them and makes a horizontal sweep of the three from the outside through the curtains of the bedroom window, perhaps trying to make a distance from the drama. Legrand leaves, Dede leaves and Lulu is left alone. After a while, Legrand returns to beg Lulu, who tells him that she is only interested if he paints, so that Dede can sell the paintings. In the face of Legrand's complaints and reproaches, Lulu just laughs, he cannot resist and pounces on her. As the camera stops focusing on them and moves to a letter opener on the bed, we later see him leave. No one heard anything, no one saw him, because outside there were street singers capturing the neighbors' attention. Dedé returns, but they do see him. He is found guilty of murder and sentenced to death. Legrand, who had also been interrogated in his role as the deceased's lover, attends the final part of the trial, laments but does not confess his crime. At work, his thefts are discovered and he is fired, without any fuss.
Years pass, and in front of an art gallery, we see two elderly vagrants. One of them challenges the other for stealing alms, and, oh surprise! It turns out the first is Legrand and the second is Goddard. They talk about their lives in the years they haven't seen each other. They roll a cigar with the tobacco found in Legrand's pockets and a piece of paper from a poster posted on the street. In the background, a luxury car is seen driving away, featuring one of Legrand's paintings. End
While the subject matter could be treated as a tragedy or melodrama, instead, it unfolds as a dark comedy, very ironic and not at all edifying. Definitely recommended, and it's surprising there wasn't a remake (thankfully).
Lotte Reinger y sus sombras animadas
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