Das häßliche Mädchen
Encyclopedia
Das häßliche Mädchen ("The Ugly Girl", sometimes translated "The Ugly Duckling") is a German
comedy film made in early 1933, during the transition from the Weimar Republic
to Nazi Germany
, and premièred in September that year. It was the first or second film directed by Hermann Kosterlitz, who left Germany before the film was completed and later worked in the United States
under the name Henry Koster
, and the last German film in which Dolly Haas
appeared; she also later emigrated to the US. A riot broke out at the première to protest the male lead, Max Hansen
, who was supposedly "too Jewish." The film's representation of the "ugly girl" as outsider has been described as a metaphorical way to explore the outsider existence of Jews.
, Berlin
in January–February 1933
, the first months of Hitler's term as Reich Chancellor. Between filming and the 8 September première at the Atrium-Theater, the Nazis had begun to define and institute their official policies of anti-Semitism in relation to the cinema. In March, the Propaganda Ministry had been created and Goebbels
had declared that German cinema must become a völkisch art form. In June, the Film Credit Bank had been founded to control the staffing of films through their funding and the Aryan clause had forbidden non-Germans and non-"Aryan
s", with few exceptions, from participating in the production or distribution of German films. In mid-July, the Reich Film Chamber
had been formed, with membership required for continued employment in cinema.
Hermann Kosterlitz both directed and co-wrote the script. This was his first or second time directing. Kosterlitz, who was Jewish, had left Germany months before the premiere, without seeing the final cut. His name was removed from the credits and replaced by an "Aryan" pseudonym, "Hasse Preis". He went to Paris in April, then via Budapest and Vienna to Hollywood in 1936. (The other author, Felix Joachimson, would go first to Austria and then also to the US, where he was a successful scriptwriter and producer under the name of Felix Jackson.)
The male lead, Max Hansen, was reputed to be part-Jewish and the previous year had performed a comic song implying that Hitler was homosexual; at the opening, in a riot orchestrated by the Nazis, members of the audience attacked him as "too Jewish", shouting "We want German movies! We want German actors!", and he was pelted with tomatoes. Rotten eggs were thrown at the screen. In the words of the review in Film-Kurier:
Dolly Haas was an exclusively comedic actress with an androgynous persona well suited to a film about appearance and the performance of identity; there were rumours about her racial heritage, too, but they were squashed with statements that she came "from a good Aryan family". Upset by the treatment of her co-star, she accepted an invitation to work in England in 1934 and left Germany for good in 1936.
The film did receive praise for its humour, and reviews included phrases such as "pleasant", "amusing" and "full of delightful ideas". The Film-Kurier review noted that there was applause when the film ended, and an ovation for Haas, before she brought out Hansen. During this transitional year, Nazi control over the film industry had yet to be consolidated and practices and attitudes varied. Otto Wallburg was Jewish and was to die in Auschwitz, but continued to work in films in Germany until 1936 under the exemption for veterans of the First World War; in this film his role was simply characterised in the press as a typically sex- and money-obsessed member of the Berlin nouveau riche.
wanted to make a film of the same title featuring Valeska Gert
, but this project never came to fruition.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
comedy film made in early 1933, during the transition from the Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
to Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, and premièred in September that year. It was the first or second film directed by Hermann Kosterlitz, who left Germany before the film was completed and later worked in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
under the name Henry Koster
Henry Koster
Henry Koster was born Hermann Kosterlitz in Berlin, Germany. He became a film director and later moved to Hollywood. Koster's father, a salesman, left home when Henry was a young man...
, and the last German film in which Dolly Haas
Dolly Haas
Dorothy Clara Louise "Dolly" Haas was a singer and an entertainer who often appeared on Broadway.-Life and work:...
appeared; she also later emigrated to the US. A riot broke out at the première to protest the male lead, Max Hansen
Max Hansen (tenor)
Max Hansen was a Danish singer known as 'The Little Caruso', also a cabaret artist, actor and comedian.- Biography :...
, who was supposedly "too Jewish." The film's representation of the "ugly girl" as outsider has been described as a metaphorical way to explore the outsider existence of Jews.
Background and reception
Das häßliche Mädchen was filmed at the Avanti Tonfilm studios in GrunewaldGrunewald
Grunewald is a locality within the Berliner borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Famous for the homonymous forest, until 2001 administrative reform it was part of the former district of Wilmersdorf.-Geography:The locality is situated in the western side of the city and is separated from...
, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
in January–February 1933
1933 in film
-Events:* March 2 - King Kong premieres in New York City.* June 6 - The first drive-in theater opens, in Camden, New Jersey.* British Film Institute founded....
, the first months of Hitler's term as Reich Chancellor. Between filming and the 8 September première at the Atrium-Theater, the Nazis had begun to define and institute their official policies of anti-Semitism in relation to the cinema. In March, the Propaganda Ministry had been created and Goebbels
Goebbels
Goebbels, alternatively Göbbels, is a common surname in the western areas of Germany. It is probably derived from the Old Low German word gibbler, meaning brewer...
had declared that German cinema must become a völkisch art form. In June, the Film Credit Bank had been founded to control the staffing of films through their funding and the Aryan clause had forbidden non-Germans and non-"Aryan
Aryan race
The Aryan race is a concept historically influential in Western culture in the period of the late 19th century and early 20th century. It derives from the idea that the original speakers of the Indo-European languages and their descendants up to the present day constitute a distinctive race or...
s", with few exceptions, from participating in the production or distribution of German films. In mid-July, the Reich Film Chamber
Reichsfilmkammer
The Reichsfilmkammer was a public corporation based in Berlin that regulated the film industry in National Socialist Germany between 1933 and 1945...
had been formed, with membership required for continued employment in cinema.
Hermann Kosterlitz both directed and co-wrote the script. This was his first or second time directing. Kosterlitz, who was Jewish, had left Germany months before the premiere, without seeing the final cut. His name was removed from the credits and replaced by an "Aryan" pseudonym, "Hasse Preis". He went to Paris in April, then via Budapest and Vienna to Hollywood in 1936. (The other author, Felix Joachimson, would go first to Austria and then also to the US, where he was a successful scriptwriter and producer under the name of Felix Jackson.)
The male lead, Max Hansen, was reputed to be part-Jewish and the previous year had performed a comic song implying that Hitler was homosexual; at the opening, in a riot orchestrated by the Nazis, members of the audience attacked him as "too Jewish", shouting "We want German movies! We want German actors!", and he was pelted with tomatoes. Rotten eggs were thrown at the screen. In the words of the review in Film-Kurier:
[W]histling was heard from various sides. The applause stopped. The whistling continued. The curtain remained closed because rotten eggs were thrown at the stage. Someone called from the balcony: "We want German movies! We want German actors! We do not need Jewish actors, we have enough German actors! Aren't you ashamed, German women, to applaud Jewish actors? Oust the Jew Max Hansen, who only six months ago sang a couplet about 'Hitler and Little Cohn' in a cabaret!"Hansen also soon left Germany, for Vienna and then Denmark.
Dolly Haas was an exclusively comedic actress with an androgynous persona well suited to a film about appearance and the performance of identity; there were rumours about her racial heritage, too, but they were squashed with statements that she came "from a good Aryan family". Upset by the treatment of her co-star, she accepted an invitation to work in England in 1934 and left Germany for good in 1936.
The film did receive praise for its humour, and reviews included phrases such as "pleasant", "amusing" and "full of delightful ideas". The Film-Kurier review noted that there was applause when the film ended, and an ovation for Haas, before she brought out Hansen. During this transitional year, Nazi control over the film industry had yet to be consolidated and practices and attitudes varied. Otto Wallburg was Jewish and was to die in Auschwitz, but continued to work in films in Germany until 1936 under the exemption for veterans of the First World War; in this film his role was simply characterised in the press as a typically sex- and money-obsessed member of the Berlin nouveau riche.
Plot summary
Lotte März (Dolly Haas) is hired as a secretary at an insurance company because she is ugly; introducing her to the (male) accountants, the personnel manager says, "I hope that you will finally be able to work in peace." The men harass her and conspire to lure her into a compromising position by having one of them, Fritz Mahldorf (Max Hansen) pretend to find her attractive. The manager discovers her in an embrace with Fritz and fires her. The self-absorbed Fritz, showing remorse that is unusual for him, arranges for her to be rehired as assistant to Director Mönckeberg (Otto Wallburg, a comical figure). Lotte has fallen for him, but he makes a date at his flat with the Director's girlfriend, Lydia (Genia Nikolaieva). Soon after she arrives, so does Lotte, and then so does the jealous Director. Farcical misunderstandings ensue, including the discovery of Lydia's fur coat and a fancy-dress ball at the Director's villa in which Lotte dresses as a pirate (just like the Director). Lotte undergoes a complete makeover at a beauty parlour: haircut, perm and facial—and is transformed into an attractive flapper. (As the New York Times reviewer put it, "As always, however, the ugly duckling becomes a disturbingly graceful swan.") Fritz falls in love with her and love triumphs, although he remains a flatterer and a deceiver and she has contemplated suicide.Critical theories
The film has been seen as a treatment of the exclusion of Jews through the metaphor of the familiar trope of sexism and the need for women to self-present as acceptably feminine. Lotte's initial ugliness translates as "she looks too Jewish." Early in the film, she protests, "But I haven't done anything to you!", which applies also to the situation of the Jews. Hansen, the presumed Jew with characteristically "Jewish" features, playing Fritz, the tormentor with the stereotypically German name, and Haas, the blonde and childish-looking Lotte being excoriated as "ugly" (i.e. Jewish) effect a displacement of the problem of otherness in order to enact a narrative of accommodation making use of the traditional romantic comedy plot of the girl getting a makeover to attract the boy.Unrealised Brecht project
Bertolt BrechtBertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
wanted to make a film of the same title featuring Valeska Gert
Valeska Gert
Valeska Gert was a German Jewish dancer and cabaret artist. She was also active as an actress and artists' model.-Life and career:...
, but this project never came to fruition.
Sources
- Knud Wolffram. "'Wir wollen deutsche Schauspieler!' Der Fall Max Hansen". Filmexil 12 (2000) 47–59
External links
- Das häßliche Mädchen at the German-language IMDb
- Das häßliche Mädchen at Filmportal.de
- Das häßliche Mädchen at Filmportal.de (English version)