Episode 34 - Mädchen in Uniform (1931)

Queer Girl Film Club

Is this the oldest film in the queer girl cinema canon? Even if it isn’t, Mädchen in Uniform is certainly old, made in 1931 and nearing its centenary. Coming out of the explosion of creativity which was Weimar Germany, it’s a historical document but is it a good film? Queer Girl Film Club are here to find out.

With Alice and G ready to tell us how accurate this is as a depiction of all-girls school life, and Holly on hand with a tonne of historical context, the gang are here to talk teenage crushes, appropriate teacher-student interactions, the power of friendship, and why militarism (whether Prussian or otherwise) is bad for girls.

Some of the articles mentioned in the podcast.

https://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/onlinessays/JC24-25folder/MaedchenUniform.html

https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/7429-the-femme-solidarity-and-queer-allyship-of-m-dchen-in-uniform

https://www.pagingdrlesbian.com/p/madchen-in-uniforms-revolutionary

http://www.screeningthepast.com/issue-1-classics-re-runs/madchen-in-uniform/
Buy Alice’s book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Offerings-Stories-Emerging-writers-Course-ebook/dp/B0DB2CX86W/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1GS5V9KATWWCO&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.XtY7bQ7VdHjJeaI5HUPN9A.41UVPCKZfwppqZx5oBMLdkmb8fTmDQx_Es96DlD7wKs&dib_tag=se&keywords=offerings+comma+press&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1733517945&s=digital-text&sprefix=offerings+comma+press%2Cdigital-text%2C78&sr=1-1

CN: Mention of Nazis and Hitler, swearing, spoilers.