''Mädchen in Uniform'' (''Girls in Uniform'') is a 1958 French-West German

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by

Géza von Radványi Géza von Radványi (born Géza Grosschmid; 26 September 1907 – 27 November 1986) was a Hungarian film director, cinematographer, producer and writer. Biography Born Géza Grosschmid, he took the name Radványi from his paternal grandmother. ...

and based on the play (credited here as "Ritter Nérestan") by

Christa Winsloe Christa Winsloe (23 December 1888 – 10 June 1944), formerly Baroness Christa von Hatvany-Deutsch, was a German-Hungarian novelist, playwright and sculptor, best known for her play ''Gestern und heute'' (known under several titles, see below), ...

. It was entered into the 8th Berlin International Film Festival. It is a remake of the 1931 film. It was shot at the

Spandau Studios The Spandau Studios or CCC Studios were film and television studios located in Spandau, a suburb of Berlin. They were established in 1949 following the Second World War by the producer Artur Brauner controller of CCC Films, on the site of a form ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

. The film's sets were designed by the art director Emil Hasler and

Walter Kutz Walter Kutz (1904 – 1983) was a German art director.Langford p.223 Selected filmography * ''Nora'' (1944) * '' Dreaming'' (1944) * ''The Silent Guest'' (1945) * '' And the Heavens Above Us'' (1947) * ''Nights on the Nile'' (1949) * '' The Cha ...

Plot

Manuela von Meinhardis, in the care of an unfeeling aunt after her mother dies, in 1910 is sent to a boarding school at

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream o ...

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 poured out on the attractive Miss von Bernburg, who says that she belongs to all the girls and cannot have favourites. For the annual play, performed before parents and the princess who is patron of the school, Romeo and Juliet is chosen and the previously shy Manuela emerges as a forceful Romeo. Unfortunately, the cook puts rum in the punch served to the girls at the party after the play, where a drunken Manuela proclaims publicly her love for Miss von Bernburg. Telling Miss von Bernburg she must resign, the headmistress confines Manuela to the sanatorium. When Manuela learns that Miss von Bernburg is leaving, in front of the whole school she threatens to throw herself down the staircase. After Miss von Bernburg begs her not to jump, she is seized by other girls and in a state of collapse put back in the sanatorium. There the headmistress visits her and, in an unprecedented show of humanity, holds her hand while at the same time asking Miss von Bernburg to stay.

Cast

Lilli Palmer Lilli Palmer (; born Lilli Marie Peiser; 24 May 1914 – 27 January 1986) was a German actress and writer. After beginning her career in British films in the 1930s, she would later transition to major Hollywood productions, earning a Golden Glob ...

as Fräulein Elisabeth von Bernburg *

Romy Schneider Romy Schneider (; born Rosemarie Magdalena Albach; 23 September 1938 – 29 May 1982) was a German-French actress. She began her career in the German genre in the early 1950s when she was 15. From 1955 to 1957, she played the central chara ...

as Manuela von Meinhardis *

Therese Giehse Therese Giehse (; 6 March 1898 – 3 March 1975), born Therese Gift, was a German actress. Born in Munich to German-Jewish parents, she first appeared on the stage in 1920. She became a major star on stage, in films, and in political cabaret. In t ...

as Headmistress * Margaret Jahnen as Miss Evans * Blandine Ebinger as Fräulein von Racket * Adelheid Seeck as Princess * Gina Albert as Marga * Sabine Sinjen as Ilse von Westhagen *

Christine Kaufmann Christine Maria Kaufmann (; 11 January 1945 – 28 March 2017) was a German-Austrian actress, author, and businesswoman. The daughter of a German father and a French mother, she won the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress f ...

as Mia * Danik Patisson as Alexandra von Treskow *

Ginette Pigeon Ginette may refer to: Music * "Ginette", a song by Têtes Raides. * "Ginette", a song by Beau Dommage. People * Ginette Leclerc (1912–1992), French actress * Ginette Mathiot (born 1946), French chef * Ginette Moulin Ginette Moulin (born Febr ...

as Edelgard von Kleist *

Marthe Mercadier Marthe Mercadier (23 October 1928 – 15 September 2021) was a French actress. Filmography Awards * In 1974, she was named Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. * In 1989, she won the ''Molière Award'' of the Best Comic Show. * In 2007, she was n ...

as Madame Aubert

References

Notes

* Petruta Tatulescu. Gender and Identity at Boarding Schools: Outcast Teachers in "Maedchen in Uniform" (1958) vs "Loving Annabelle" (2006). In: Cinej Cinema Journal 1/2011. P. 141–147. http://cinej.pitt.edu/ojs/index.php/cinej/article/view/16/106

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Madchen In Uniform 1958 films 1958 drama films 1950s LGBT-related films German drama films German LGBT-related films West German films 1950s German-language films Films directed by Géza von Radványi Lesbian-related films Remakes of German films Films about educators German films based on plays 1950s high school films Films set in boarding schools Films set in 1910 Films featuring an all-female cast 1950s teen films French drama films Films shot at Spandau Studios 1950s French films 1950s German films