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Voidsville Follies

Works featuring "dance-polka" (2)

The Strange Bird (Der fremde Vogel)

Urban Gad (director/writer)
Guido Seeber (cinematographer)
Asta Nielsen (lead)
The_Spreewald (location)

Language: Silent, German titles, Danish and English subtitles, released in Nov 1911
Minutes: 45

Another breaking class-forbidden love combo - but different:

This time it's not the gal but the guy who is The Bottom.
There is no dialogue. Other than one note sent between the lovers, the title cards are all narrative.
The affair breaks both class and ethnic boundaries, as the vast majority of the population in the area of the affair - The Spree Forest or Spreewald - was of Slavic descent. So this film could be seen as 1911 Germany's Jungle Fever. Could that explain why this affair seems more passionate than commonly seen in films of the era? Yet, unlike most other breaking class films of the day, there's no suggestion of inherent immorality in their affair (even though each of the lovers already have a suitor or partner - and they don't take kindly to being dumped).

But the main attraction of this show is the beautiful cinematography capturing the canals and customs of The_Spreewald.

Featured elements:

: breaking class; chase; comedy; dance-polka; family; forbidden love; foreshadowing; infidelity; patriarchy; prejudice; revenge; romance

Kohlhiesel's Daughters (Kohlhiesels Töchter)

Ernst Lubitsch (director/writer)
Theodor Sparkuhl (cinematographer)
Hanns Kräly (writer)
Henny Porten (lead)
Emil Jannings (lead)
Gustav von Wangenheim (lead)
Jakob Tiedtke (lead)
Messter (production)

Language: Silent, English titles, released in Mar 1920
Minutes: 60

Lightweight but amusing tale of an unintentional taming of the shrew.

Featured elements:

: abuse; alienation; bimbo; comedy; dance-polka; dark comedy; family; forbidden love; infidelity; metatheatre; patriarchy; sexuality; shrew; slapstick; treachery

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