Muchachas de uniforme

(Girls in Uniform)

Alfredo B. Crevenna
Mexico, 1951

Filmoteca-UNAM’s Collection

In Conversation

  • Jenni Olson

    Jenni Olson is a Berkeley-based queer film historian, writer, and filmmaker who is the proud proprietor of Butch.org, which features more information about all of her work as a longtime champion of LGBTQ+ cinema.

  • Juana María Rodríguez

    Juana María Rodríguez is a Professor of Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley and a cultural critic, public speaker, and award-winning author who writes about sexual cultures, racial politics, and the many tangled expressions of Latina identity.

featuring

Irasema Dilián, Marga López, Rosaura Revueltas, Alicia Caro,

This long-unavailable 1951 Mexican remake of the 1931 German film Mädchen in Uniform (which is considered to be the first lesbian film ever made) modifies the setting from a late 1800s Prussian girls school associated with military authoritarianism to a Catholic all-girls convent school. The film tells the tale of orphan girl Manuela (played by Brazilian Polish star Irasema Dilián) and her scandalous crush on the benevolent, secular teacher Miss Lucila (played by Argentine actress Marga López). This ultimately tragic melodrama of the love that dare not speak its name was denounced by Mexico’s Catholic Church.

Content warning: This film depicts suicide.

FILM DETAILS 
Screenwriter
  • Egon Eis
  • Edmundo Báez
Based On

  • the original play and 1931 screenplay by Christa Winsloe

Cinematographer
  • Ignacio Torres
Language
  • Spanish
  • with English subtitles
Print Info
  • B&W
  • DCP
  • 101 mins
Source
  • Filmoteca de la UNAM