Maedchen in Uniform

Released Sep 20, 1932

1h 30m

Drama

List

100%

Tomatometer

44 Reviews

87%

Audience Score

500+ Ratings

After the death of her mother, teenage Manuela (Hertha Thiele) is sent off to a boarding school run by the autocratic Fräulein von Nordeck (Emilia Unda). Initially withdrawn from the other girls due to her grief and anger at being sent away, Manuela is drawn out of her shell by the beautiful and sympathetic young teacher Elizabeth von Bernburg (Dorothea Wieck). But when Manuela's fondness for her teacher turns into a romantic attachment, it becomes a school-wide scandal.

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Critics Consensus

Beautifully filmed and performed, Mäedchen in Uniform avoids easy melodrama with its sensitive handling of oft-sensationalized subject matter.

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Becky

Autostraddle

You didn't think old school cinema was this adorbs, but it is.

Jun 11, 2021

Full Review

Len G. Shaw

Detroit Free Press

No outline of the story could attempt to convey a sense of the adroitness with which the producers have caught the schoolgirl spirit that bubbles even under such repressive conditions, the naturalness of manner revealed by the youthful players.

Dec 10, 2020

Full Review

Robert Herring

Guardian

It is acted and directed with forceful simplicity, and is a strong example of Germany's return to assurance in the talkie field.

Nov 18, 2020

Full Review

Mattie Lucas

From the Front Row

A film set on a precipice of disaster that is at once a requiem for what was, and a warning for what was to come. And it's as timely and as urgent as ever.

Jun 28, 2022

Full Review

Andor Kraszna-Krausz

Close Up

[The story] might be of less importance in itself than the way in which it has been moulded. A way which expresses naturally and with charm the delicate side of the subject and which characterizes distinctly but not abruptly.

Jan 14, 2021

Full Review

E.W. Harrold

Ottawa Citizen

I cannot begin to tell you of the amazing skill of the casting, of the authenticity of the scenes, nor of the wonderfully sympathetic performances of Miss Hertha Thiele as Manuela and Miss Dorothea Wieck a Fraulein von Bernburg.

Nov 18, 2020

Full Review

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Will P

love when you're watching something in a foreign language with subtitles and there's a random phrase that's pronounced exactly the same as in english. you're telling me they also call it "sex appeal" over there? awesome

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/02/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Really great movie! handles it's topic matter in a sweet way; way better then most modern depictions of queerness!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/28/24

Full Review

Noah P

This movie is unfit for viewing because it promotes and glorifies unhealthy human behavior.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

05/28/24

Full Review

Amin G

I cannot believe this movie was produced in 1930. Incredible story and performances, which are somehow explaining the rise of the Nazi party

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A beautiful and moving film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

andrey k

This movie is powerful, especially if you see it in the context of the time (and you just can't see it otherwise) it was shot. But its main theme is not lesbians. The main theme is a looming oppression and authority coming from the Nazis. It's hard not to think about that in ten years all these girls would be in a whirlpool of the dark times of the WW2. The movie is very appealing and nice to watch, with nice acting and two lovely main leads. Camera work and lighting are exceptional as, however, usual of the German films of the time.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Leontine Sagan

Director

Hertha Thiele

Manuela von Meinhardis

Dorothea Wieck

Fräulein von Bernburg

Emilia Unda

The Principal

Friedrich Dammann

Writer

Christoe Winsloe

Writer

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Synopsis

After the death of her mother, teenage Manuela (Hertha Thiele) is sent off to a boarding school run by the autocratic Fräulein von Nordeck (Emilia Unda). Initially withdrawn from the other girls due to her grief and anger at being sent away, Manuela is drawn out of her shell by the beautiful and sympathetic young teacher Elizabeth von Bernburg (Dorothea Wieck). But when Manuela's fondness for her teacher turns into a romantic attachment, it becomes a school-wide scandal.

Director: Leontine Sagan
Producer: Carl Froelich
Screenwriter: Friedrich Dammann, Christoe Winsloe
Genre: Drama
Original Language: German
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 20, 1932, Original
Runtime: 1h 30m
Sound Mix: Mono