April 19, 2009

36. Ich möchte kein Mann sein (1918)

I couldn't catch any sleep last night, so I figured I might watch another film. After Broken Blossoms I was looking for something a bit more easy going, something that wouldn't require any tears. So I picked this little gem and I'm thrilled that I did. Because this was fantastic. The story is simple, the cast small but dynamic and the subject rare + nicely dealt with.



meet my new heroine, Ossi Oswalda (21)

Margarete Kupfer (37) played the governess










the girl could dance like a hurricane !

she meets her new custodian, Dr Kersten (played by Curt Goetz, 30)

he's like the male Debbie Downer, he forbids her from partying and sends her to bed


Up until this point her character was very obnoxious, reminding me of one of my teenage sisters. Blowing smoke into peoples faces, not paying attention, being ignorant, not giving a damn.. yes, I suppose teenagers throughout the ages have been quite the same.


this is where it gets interesting





the governess didn't realize her true identity



she gives the local girls the eye






it's all too much...

... until she spots that mr goody two-shoes standing about

after the initial coldness, the two end up sharing a table





he doesn't know she's a girl

which made this part all the more intriguing to watch





due to a mix up, the merry fellows get delivered to the wrong houses



he still thinks she's a guy, Ossi's cousin






he arrived into her room unannounced and found out her secret



In some modern film things would not turn out like this, I bet.
Look at the man, he's even more smitten with her now that he found out she's the "boy" he had the hots for the night before.
In a modern production he'd gun her down for playing such a trick on him.




I loved them both dearly

***
Directed by Ernst Lubitsch

Rating : 9,5/10

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