Letterboxd — Your life in film

Mädchen in Uniform by Géza von Radványi is a visually rigorous yet exuberantly acted all-girl boarding school drama buoyed by political and social undertones that are relevant even to this day. The film is a biting critique on authoritarianism and patriarchal supremacy. At the time it is highly unconventional for its supportive stance on homosexual relationships. It strikes me as a German version of the steamy, lesbian themed Cracks, the Juno Temple/Eva Green vehicle where a student develops an unbridled…

A romantic slow-burner, set in a Mexican border town, with Romanian gigolo Charles Boyer seducing American schoolteacher Olivia De Havilland to get in to the States, then starting to struggle with his conscience.

Written in Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett's distinctive style, and directed by Mitchell Leisen - the master of the romantic drama, now almost forgotten - it's a simply beautiful movie: one which completely sneaks up on you, with an original set-up, an unusual atmosphere, and superb performances…