悲情花街

DiefreudloseGasse(TheJoylessStreet),directedGeorgWilhelmPabstfromascriptbyWillyHaas,basedonanovelbyHugoBettauer,isnotonlyoneofthemostimportantfilmsoftheWeimarRepublic,itisalsooneofthemostspectacularcensorshipcasesoftheera.Whilethefilmmadeitsdirectorfamous,thestateinstitutionsofcontrolguaranteedthatnoonewouldeverseethefilminitsoriginalform.Thefilmwasconsideredtoomuchofaprovocation.ItsstoryfromtheinflationaryperiodinViennaintheyearsimmediatelyafterWorldWarIofferedenoughdynamiteforseveralmuckrakingnovels:nouveaurichescurrencyandstockmarketspeculatorswhowallowinBabylonianluxury,homelessandunemployedLumpenproletariatlivinginbarns,womenwhoselltheirsoulsforabitoffreshmeatatthebutcher's,arrogantbutimpoverishedformerbureaucratsunawareoftheirsocialslide,youngsocialclimberswillingtoprostitutethemselveswithhighsocietywomen,sexualorgiesandbordellos,murderoutofjealousy,murderoutofdespair,and,finally,arevolutioninthestreets.<br/>　　Contemporaryfilmcritics,aswellasfilmhistorianshavealwaysrecognizedTheJoylessStreetasaseminalfilm,afilmontheborderbetweenGermanExpressionismandNeueSachlichkeit(newrealism).Twoquotesfromcontemporaryreviewsmayillustratethepoint:theBerlinerTageblattwrote:&quot;Intermsofitsacting,thisisabeautifulfilmwithgreatdirectionandwonderfulactors.&quot;Infact,thefilmstarredAstaNielsen,WernerKraus,HerthavonWalter,andayoungGretaGarbowhowouldgoontoastellarcareerinHollywood.IntheDeutscheAllgemeineZeitung,OttoFriedrichwrote:&quot;He(Pabst)achieveshisgoalingreatstyle,doesnottreadonwell-wornpaths,presentsnewideaswhichareuniquelyhisown,andwiththisachievementgivesusanewhope.Hecapturestheatmosphereofanidea,keepsredrawingitonthesurfaceinevermoreintensiveimages,incontrastsofactionthatmakeaneverstrongerimpression.Heillustratesthedown-troddensoulsoftheeraandthemaniclustforpleasureofitspeoplewhoaretryingtodonothingmorethanescapeforafewminutesfromtheterribletruthofthepresent.&quot;<br/>　　Notonlywasthefilmcutforpoliticalandmoralreasonsineverycountrywhereitwaspubliclyshown,itwasalsoreeditedinordertoclosethehugegapscreatedbycensorshipcuts.Thus,inalmosteverycountrytotallydifferentnarrativesofTheJoylessStreetemerged.AccordingtoMarkSorkin,Pabst'seditor,heandPabsthadmadethefirstcutsthenightbeforethepremiere,becausethetheatreownerinsistedthefilmbeshortened.

WhilethefirstversionofTheJoylessStreetstillhadalengthof3738meters(onlyfourmeterswereinitiallycutbythecensorshipboardon25May1925),thefilmwasbackincourton29March1926,becausethepolicehadissuedadecreecallingforatotalbanonthefilm,duetoits&quot;lewd&quot;and&quot;seditious&quot;tendencies.Nowonly3477metersremainedofthefilm.Noneofthelatersurvivingversionsevercameclosetothislength.NeitheraGermanversion,northeoriginalGermancensorshipcardsareknowntoexist.<br/>　　EveryonewhohasseenthenewreconstructionofTheJoylessStreetagreesthatitisavastimprovementoverallpreviouslyexistingversions.Yetitremainsonlyasubjectiveattemptatareconstruction.Whileitistruethatthereconstructionteamtriedtobaseeveryoneofitdecisionsondocumentaryevidence,itmustalsobeadmittedthatwithoutasurvivingoriginalGermanversion,wewillneverknowwhatthefilmreallylookedlike.Giventheincrediblecomplexityofthenarrative,involvingatleastsixdifferentsubplots,andthefactthatthefilmisstillmissingatleast700meters,thisversionmustbecharacterizedasatattemptatareconstruction.<br/>　　Jan-ChristopherHorak