Frame and Preparation
Anders als die Andern
Conceptual Frames and Background
- World War I & beginning of Weimar Republic
- Sexological theories of homosexuality and gender
- Homosexual emancipation movement & Magnus Hirschfeld
- Paragraph 175
Introduction
Anders als die Andern (1919) was directed by Richard Oswald and co-authored with sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld. It is a silent melodrama and sexual enlightenment film, and the first homosexual film ever made in the world. A major portion of the film contains a lecture by Hirschfeld, the most prominent intellectual and activist of the homosexual movement. Following increasing censorship of the film, large portions of it were banned or destroyed and so the original version of the film no longer exists.
Preparation
Students need to be prepared to be reading and watching (and not listening to) the film, since it is silent
In order to understand the sequence of events and emotions in the film, students need to be familiar with the legal and moral framework around homosexuality in the early 20th century. For example, the illegality of sodomy under Paragraph 175, besides criminalizing same-sex behavior, also fed the market for male prostitution and cases of blackmail and extortion against rich or prestigious homosexual men.
Certain vocabulary can get very jargony, either legal or medicinal/scientific, so preparation regarding these words helps comprehension.
Thus, an understanding of Hirschfeld’s biography, his major theories of homosexuality (as inborn condition, an intermediate ‘third sex’ between male and female), and his politics (liberal respectability, legal rights through mass education and enlightenment by scientific, cultural, and legal experts)
Text and Discussion
- How do the main characters understand their sexuality? How do they describe and practice it?
- Why does the main character commit suicide? How does this reflect on the laws governing homosexuality?
- What is Hirschfeld’s main message in the film? Do you find it convincing and politically effective?
- What sort of sexual politics is endorsed by this film? What similarities and differences do you see with today’s queer movement?