Germans' disillusionment of its Weimar Republic after The Great War was so deep that it spurred a movement of the country's artists to paint the real picture of the multitudes suffering from its economic collapse. The artistic community labeled such honest realism as the 'New Objectivity.' Other terms equally described this development as the 'New Sobriety' or the 'New Matter-of-Factness.' Either way you slice it, the bleak portrayal of the majority of Germans, and citizens of the other defeated European countries such as Austria, in the face of the hypocrisy of a few rich parasites hit home to those viewing such objective works of art.
The New Objectivity style bled over from paintings and photographs into cinema, beginning with one of its greatest film proponents, Georg Wilhelm Pabst. He defined this cinematic realism in his May 1925 "Joyless Street." The ground-breaking movie, set in the poor section of Vienna, Austria, follows two young woman living in the same building, Maria (Asta Nielsen) and Greta (Greta Garbo). Maria, whose abusive father drives her into prostitution to feed the family, is caught in a murderous row. Greta, the daughter of a retire civil servant who loses his entire pension to an unscrupulous market manipulator, struggles to put meat on the table. As hunger persists, she looks at the profession of a hooker as a last resort to secure some money. Counterbalancing the two desperate women are the owner of a butcher shop and a nightclub proprietor, both preying on the hunger of the vulnerable city poor.
Pabst doesn't sugarcoat his setting nor his characters in delineating the horrid conditions the Austrians face on a daily basis. Lighting plays an important part in portraying its characters. The joyless Vienna streets and dingy apartments are poorly lit, while the nightclubs are brightly illuminated to showcase their wealthy clientele. The hungry poor waiting in line for an opportunity to buy meat at the butcher's shop is reminiscent to D. W. Griffith's earlier 1924 "Isn't Life Wonderful." Some claim the young German actress Marlene Dietrich was one of those standing in line and catches Garbo when she faints.
Garbo's role is one of a sleepless, listless woman whose daily struggles are grinding her down. It's an important, but not overly dramatic role for an actress who was acting in her only second major role in front of the camera. "Joyless Streets" was the final European movie Garbo appeared in before sailing off to America to work for MGM. The 42-year-old Asta Nielsen, one of cinema's first international stars and her counterpart in "Joyless Street," couldn't quite comprehend the public's attraction towards Garbo. She made public comments that she failed to see the talent in the young actress. Maybe the key to Garbo's success was as studio boss Louis Mayers pointed out, "It was her eyes. I can make a star out of her." His prophecy soon became true, as the young Swedish actress shortly emerged as an international star in her own right.
The New Objectivity style bled over from paintings and photographs into cinema, beginning with one of its greatest film proponents, Georg Wilhelm Pabst. He defined this cinematic realism in his May 1925 "Joyless Street." The ground-breaking movie, set in the poor section of Vienna, Austria, follows two young woman living in the same building, Maria (Asta Nielsen) and Greta (Greta Garbo). Maria, whose abusive father drives her into prostitution to feed the family, is caught in a murderous row. Greta, the daughter of a retire civil servant who loses his entire pension to an unscrupulous market manipulator, struggles to put meat on the table. As hunger persists, she looks at the profession of a hooker as a last resort to secure some money. Counterbalancing the two desperate women are the owner of a butcher shop and a nightclub proprietor, both preying on the hunger of the vulnerable city poor.
Pabst doesn't sugarcoat his setting nor his characters in delineating the horrid conditions the Austrians face on a daily basis. Lighting plays an important part in portraying its characters. The joyless Vienna streets and dingy apartments are poorly lit, while the nightclubs are brightly illuminated to showcase their wealthy clientele. The hungry poor waiting in line for an opportunity to buy meat at the butcher's shop is reminiscent to D. W. Griffith's earlier 1924 "Isn't Life Wonderful." Some claim the young German actress Marlene Dietrich was one of those standing in line and catches Garbo when she faints.
Garbo's role is one of a sleepless, listless woman whose daily struggles are grinding her down. It's an important, but not overly dramatic role for an actress who was acting in her only second major role in front of the camera. "Joyless Streets" was the final European movie Garbo appeared in before sailing off to America to work for MGM. The 42-year-old Asta Nielsen, one of cinema's first international stars and her counterpart in "Joyless Street," couldn't quite comprehend the public's attraction towards Garbo. She made public comments that she failed to see the talent in the young actress. Maybe the key to Garbo's success was as studio boss Louis Mayers pointed out, "It was her eyes. I can make a star out of her." His prophecy soon became true, as the young Swedish actress shortly emerged as an international star in her own right.