Please, can someone suggest just what is the role of the wandering girl? Is this another way of saying Gypsy? What is she doing in the film? Is she supposed to be invisible - and so a spirit or something? I say that because when she climbs onto the balcony.. no-one spots her.
Again, I am basing this on one watching of the 41min. Alpha dvd.. I guess I missed something here as well.
few visible scars
I watched the same version of the dvd and I don't think you missed anything because I was curious about her too. When she appeared on the balcony I thought she was like a demon spirit but later she is paid money for giving Balduin's handerkerchief to the Countess' cousin.
I give my respect to those who have earned it; to everyone else, I'm civil.share
Hi Poppy,
thanks for taking the time to reply..
Yes , a 'spirit' of some sort is implicit.. but... I guess we both would like to hear from someone who saw a longer version...
Nice to hear from you...
Ray
few visible scars
Well I've watched the 1926 version, which is the same story, and the dvd had the full length version of this film. The wandering girl is a flower girl who is in love with Balduin. In a jealous rage, having seen Balduin with the Countess, she steals and then presents Balduin's note to the Countess inviting her to a tryst to the latter's cousin and betrothed. The cousin then challenges Balduin who suggests the sword fight and from there on in events conspire against Balduin.
In the 1913 version the girl seemed to be paid after the note had been delivered and read, which might suggest she was taking advantage of the situation rather than in love and jealous. I have to say that the acting in the 1926 film is much superior and the flower girl was poorly acted in the 1913 film.
I give my respect to those who have earned it; to everyone else, I'm civil.share
Good morning again Poppy
Thanks once more for the time and effort to reply.. with additional information.
Interesting...
few visible scars
I basically agree with PoppyTransfusion' reply.
However, I felt from the first appearance of Lyda Salmonova, that her character of Lyduschka was that of a gypsy girl, stereotyped as they were. For comparison, take the earlier Carmen characters in movies before 1930.
The English subtitles and the German reconstructed titles for the 2013 version - the best you can currently have of this film - describe Lyduschka as a traveling girl, or wandering girl. I do not know German, but I found the rendition of "gypsy" in an official German site to describe Lyduschka:
http://www.filmportal.de/film/der-student-von-prag_eea77e18d0cc4d038e114d869caf1431
I suppose the original tried to be politically correct, going for the more vague description of the character; anyway, gypsies are vagrants by nature, associated with wild dancing and merriment. Also, unfortunately, for finding ways to make money out of anything; hence, the scene described with the written note.
By the way, I found the dancing scene at the tavern pretty wild and daring, but Europeans, and Austrians in particular, were not as repressed in the 1910's than they would be in the 1930's...