Muchachas de Uniforme (1951)
Irasema Dilián and Marga López star in MUCHACHAS DE UNIFORME, the 1951 Mexican adaptation of the 1931 German film MÄDCHEN IN UNIFORM; the film is thought to be the first Mexican feature to prominently include lesbianism as its main theme.
Much like the American censorship board The National Legion of Decency the Catholic Church also played a part in the censorship of Mexican cinema. Historian M. MacLaid notes in “Aesthetics and Politics in the Mexican Film Industry” that censorship had a similar timeline to that of Hollywood’s Hays Production Code and lasted from 1934, well into the late 1960s. The goal in Mexico was to “moralize society” and to “re-Christianize” it by controlling themes/imagery in films by creating “La Legión Mexicana de la Decencia.”
Upon its release, MUCHACHAS DE UNIFORME was advertised with the taglines:
“What was Manuela's sin?” and “Is this movie immoral or is it not?”
The film follows Manuela, a poor orphan, who begins attending a Catholic school for girls. Manuela does not seem to fit in and so the nuns send her to the popular teacher, Lucila, to catch up in her studies. Not accustomed to kindness, Manuela begins to fall in love with her teacher.
The plot is mostly the same as the original German version, but with censorship being so strong in the 1950s Manuela was not given the same kindness as her 1931 character. In the original she attempts to take her own life, but is stopped by her friend – in this version she succeeds because she needs to atone for her ‘sins.’ This was probably the reason the film was able to maneuver around censorship.
MUCHACHAS DE UNIFORME
1951. Mexico.
Director: Alfredo B. Crevenna
Screenplay: Christa Winsloe, Edmundo Báez & Egon Eis
Starring: Irasema Dilián, Marga López, Alicia Caro, Rosaura Revueltas, Patricia Morán, María Douglas, Anabella Gutiérrez, Magda Guzmán, Alicia “Pipa” Rodríguez & Lupe Carriles
MUCHACHAS DE UNIFORME is streaming on YouTube, but for a version with English subtitles you’ll need a copy of the DVD.
