Different from the Others (1919)
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Different from the Others Movie Review
Different from the Others is a 1919 German silent drama film directed by Richard Oswald and starring Conrad Veidt. It’s a superb, seminal piece of cinema.
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“For knowledge will conquer prejudice,
truth will conquer lies,
and love will triumph over hatred“
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Yes, first and foremost, this cannot be overstated – this picture is the first ever LGBT film and in particular a pro-gay movie. The fact that Germany produced such a film at the end of the 1910s when the British and the Americans were only going to be producing those after Stonewall should be commended, and thus I feel that it is not respected as much as it should be.
But it’s just a great movie, period. That’s why I loved it. It’s not just important, but it’s also a terrific story in its own right. Not only is the movie so openly gay in its characters and situations, but it’s also immensely dark and extremely entertaining, especially for its time. I’ve had a blast watching it.
The entire blackmail angle to it was excellent, and it made the movie thrilling to behold. Yes, I could see the tragic, melodramatic ending coming from miles away, but it was so well executed and so perfect that it worked for me in its entirety. The dialogue is particularly effective here.
What is also effective is its propagandistic approach. Yes, it’s propaganda, but it’s the type of positive propaganda that aimed to open the audience’s hearts and minds. Not only does the movie feature immensely inspirational moments, especially the final act with so many beautiful lines in the intertitles, but it also is educational which I did not expect.
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The doctor in this one scene showcased not only homosexuality, but transgenderism as well, and simply the spectrum talk and all of the lessons that it teaches are true to this day meaning that the movie was so ahead of its time in terms of its psychology and sexology. That entire scene was a detour, but a splendid detour nonetheless.
The boyfriend character needed more development in my opinion as the movie too much focused just on his looks alone. But his sister is a great, commendable person in her own right. As for Franz Bollek, Reinhold Schunzel plays him so well that this extremely cartoony villain worked in the end. He was a lot of fun and genuinely interesting to follow.
I need to talk about Conrad Veidt now. This is it. The best part of an otherwise stellar movie across the board. Yes, his performance drives this flick. He’s so damn empathetic, likable and downright perfect in the role that he stole the show from all of the others. His Paul Korner is an iconic gay character, and he played him superbly in all the dramatic and emotional beats, especially in his eyes. He had his career boosted a year later from ‘The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’, but he was a great German actor who should be respected more for this role too.
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Richard Oswald apparently liked making social message movies like this one and yes, his direction is preachy, but mostly very strong. Different from the Others is also very well shot in its every scene and so well utilized in its intertitles. The movie survives in fifty minutes only, but those are glorious fifty minutes which are so well restored, and the added intertitles really help out to understand the story well. Ultimately, it’s a great restoration that makes watching this film a blast. And it’s one of the best flicks of 1919.
Different from the Others is a seminal early LGBT work that should be respected for its important message and inspirational dialogue, but it needs to be appreciated more how great of a movie it is in its own right. The storyline is not only surprisingly progressive, but also downright entertaining with its thrilling elements working splendidly. The intertitles are terrific, the emotion is felt and Conrad Veidt killed it with one truly amazing, scene-stealing performance.
