Girls in Uniform: Leontine Sagan

Leontine Sagan's Girls in Uniform is a film that succeeds on several different levels. First, it's a fantastic school drama about a student body oppressed by a tyrannical headmistress. Second, it's a landmark in LGBTQ+ cinema in its unabashed portrayal of lesbian characters (one kiss between a much beloved teacher and one of her students remains somewhat shocking even today for its frankness concerning homosexual affections between a minor and a grown woman). I suppose that these attractions could be rationalized as a psychological coping mechanism for the girls when faced with the harsh, restrictive school environment. After all, the girls all fall for the one teacher who treats them with any kind of kindness (although by today's standards she would still be seen as unduly stern). But the intensity of their romantic feelings seems to argue against that. Finally, Girls in Uniform is fascinating as a prediction of the rise of Nazism. One scene in particular where all of the students line up in their uniforms and bow before an imposing, shrouded visiting princess is uncanny in its proto-fascist implications.

9/10