Found in: Weimar Sundays
Abwege

Abwege

classified 12A

Weimar Sundays

Film

Please note: This was screened in Oct 2019

Director
Georg Wilhelm Pabst
Cast
Gustav Diessl, Brigitte Helm, Hertha von Walther
Details
107 mins, 1928, Germany
Primary language
German

The affluent lawyer Thomas Beck neglects his wife Irene in favour of work and she embarks on a romance with a painter. Beck manages to prevent the pair from taking off to Vienna together, but in response, Irene throws herself wholeheartedly into Berlin’s nightlife.

A great realist of Weimar-era cinema, G.W. Pabst uses a marital crisis to paint a shimmering portrait of society. Camerawork that is as unchained as Irene herself delves into a whirling world of luxury and vice, it lays out drug use and prostitution both in the bohemian milieu and among the putative better set. And like the painter in the film, the camera is beguiled by Irene’s gaze as it caresses actress Brigitte Helm.

Wrapped in recherché robes and furs, Helm embodies a woman trapped in the gilded cage of marriage. And Irene’s attempt to flee is less of a threat to the continued existence of that institution than the ‘new woman’, with her bobbed hair and cigarette holder, which make a fascinating appearance in the film.

Digitally restored by DCP Filmmuseum München and with live piano musical accompaniment by John Sweeney. The film will be introduced by film critic and historian Pamela Hutchinson.

With thanks to:

Image title


× Close

Help us make our website work better for you

We use Google Analytics to gather information on how our website is used. This information helps us to make changes to our website that improve the usefulness and overall experience for our visitors. If you would like to help us to make continuous improvements to our website, please allow us to set "first-party" cookies (only readable by us) so that we can distinguish visitors and gain greater insights.

Allow cookies for analytics Deny cookies for analytics