August Special Subject – German Sirk Sampler – Part 1 – THE GIRL FROM THE MARSH CROFT (1935) & PILLARS OF SOCIETY (1936)

There's Sometimes a Buggy

Our Special Subject for August is also our first look at German filmmaking under the Nazis, with two mid-1930s films by left-wing director and future Hollywood auteur Douglas Sirk: The Girl from the Marsh Croft, based on the novel by Selma Lagerlöf, and Pillars of Society, based on the play by Henrik Ibsen. We consider the question of how it was possible to make liberal films under these circumstances and find early evidence of Sirk's interest in "split characters" and unconventional protagonists.

Time Codes:

0h 1m 00s: Introductory discussion on Sirk at UFA during the 1933 to 1937 period

0h 13m 15s: THE GIRL FROM THE MARSH CROFT (1935) [dir. Douglas Sirk]

0h 38m 15s: PILLARS OF SOCIETY (1936) [dir. Douglas Sirk]

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* Listen to our guest episode on The Criterion Project – a discussion of Late Spring

* Marvel at our meticulously ridiculous Complete Viewing Schedule for the 2020s

* Intro Song: "Sunday" by Jean Goldkette Orchestra with the Keller Sisters (courtesy of The Internet Archive)

* Read Elise's piece on Gangs of New York – "Making America Strange Again"

* Check out Dave's Robert Benchley blog – an attempt to annotate and reflect upon as many of the master humorist's 2000+ pieces as he can locate – Benchley Data: A Wayward Annotation Project!

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