Clap clap to the good old BFI
This is a classic early talky film, way ahead of its time, from a brilliant one time director, and which managed to miraculously pass the scrutiny of the Nazi propaganda ministry with its release in 1931.
I recently saw the NTSC VHS version for the first time, after seeing the PAL BFI one several times. I was naturally disgusted with the quality the USA has let slip with this incredible slice of time and art. For the first third of the film the subtitles (English) are almost invisible -white subtitles on a black and white film. Then suddenly, the subtitles stop altogether for about ten minutes or more. When they finally begin again they are in a different format and are frustratingly incomplete.
The scene where Fraulein von Bernburg and Manuela von Meinhardis kiss looks as though it has been thrown in the fire then rescued too late and stuck back onto the video with superglue. Yet another, and the final confrontation between the two women is disjointed, the voices are far from in sync with their lips and actions and occassionally the clip cuts out in the middle of a sentence, and starts half way into another one.
And by the way, none of these problems appeared on PAL...
To be honest, I expected it to be payed far less respect than it deserved in America, but this is really appalling. The complete neglect of such an important film which endorsed liberalism and freedom, while the Nazi's slowly closed in on them -Madchen in Uniform managed to squeeze out just in time and should be taken a little more care of.