The Joyless Street
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The Joyless Street
1925. Germany. Directed by Georg Wilhelm Pabst. Screenplay by Willy Haas. With Greta Garbo, Asta Nielsen, Agnes Esterhazy. Pabst’s third film, a bleak depiction of Vienna during the years of hyper-inflation, ranks among the most celebrated—and controversial—achievements in Weimar cinema. Adapted by legendary film critic Willy Haas from Hugo Bettauer’s novel (which was originally serialized in the Austrian daily newspaper Der Tag), the film follows four female characters from different walks of life. The abject poverty of the lower classes is contrasted with the consuming decadence of the upper classes—both unflinchingly depicted by Viennese native Pabst. Heavily censored upon its release, The Joyless Street now stands as a masterpiece of cinematic “New Objectivity.” Pabst’s cold, critical eye would serve him well throughout the rest of the 1920s, reaching majestic heights with classics like Die Büchse der Pandora (Pandora’s Box) and Tagebuch einer Verlorenen (Diary of a Lost Girl), both made in 1929 and starring Louise Brooks. Among the film’s indelible cast are Asta Nielsen, Werner Krauss of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari fame, and a young Greta Garbo. Courtesy BFI. With German and English intertitles. 125 min.