Hertha Thiele
Encyclopedia
Hertha Thiele was a German
actress. She is noted for her starring roles in controversial stage plays and films produced during Germany
's Weimar Republic
and the early years of the Third Reich. Thiele later became a television
star in East Germany. She is most widely remembered for her portrayal of Manuela in the groundbreaking 1931 lesbian
-themed film Mädchen in Uniform.
n boarding school for girls. The film had an all-female cast and Thiele played Manuela, a fourteen year old schoolgirl deeply infatuated with her teacher, Fräulein von Bernburg who was played by Dorothea Wieck. Mädchen in Uniform was distributed internationally and briefly made Thiele a star. She received thousands of fan letters, mostly from women.
In 1932 she starred with Ernst Busch
in Bertolt Brecht
's Kuhle Wampe
. In 1933 Thiele had a leading role in Kleiner Mann, was nun? and was reunited with Dorothea Wieck in another lesbian-themed film, Anna und Elisabeth, which was banned by the Nazis soon after it opened and which she later said was the most important work of her career. She also continued to work in theatre during the early 1930s, including productions with Max Reinhardt
(Harmonie, 1932) and Veit Harlan
(Veronika, 1935).
Her career was thwarted when the Nazi government approached her with repeated requests to assist in the production of National Socialist
propaganda
. During one meeting with propaganda minister Dr. Joseph Goebbels
, who advised Thiele to "familiarise" herself with National Socialism, she replied, "I don't blow with the wind each time it changes directions". Although she made further efforts to reach a workable understanding with Goebbels, by 1936 the Nazis had come to view her work as mostly subversive and she was excluded from the Reichstheater and Reichsfilmkammer. In 1937 she left Germany for Switzerland
. It was another five years before she was able to find acting work in Bern.
and Leipzig. During the 1970s she was often seen on East German television
acting in sundry series and made-for-television films which were virtually unknown in West Germany, including the popular Polizeiruf 110
. In 1975 Thiele's work was featured in a television documentary, Das Herz auf der linken Seite and in 1983 a monograph on her life and work was published by Deutsche Kinematek.
Thiele reportedly married more than once. One of her husbands was actor Heinz Klingenberg.
Towards the end of her life, western feminists researching the history of Mädchen in Uniform sought her out and she enjoyed a small measure of renewed cult celebrity before her death in 1984.
In 1998 German film historians Heide Schlüpmann and Karola Gramman noted "her acting success may well have been based upon her image which met the homo-erotic desires of both men and women, though perhaps more those of women", and that Hertha Thiele "told us she would have liked to have played a 'proper love scene' with a man, once in her life: her image, moulded by men, didn't allow her the expression of this desire".
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
actress. She is noted for her starring roles in controversial stage plays and films produced during Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
and the early years of the Third Reich. Thiele later became a television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
star in East Germany. She is most widely remembered for her portrayal of Manuela in the groundbreaking 1931 lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
-themed film Mädchen in Uniform.
Career in Weimar and Nazi Germany
One of her early drama teachers told Thiele, "Either you'll have a great stage career or nothing at all. You have a Botticelli face but one which suggests depravity". Thiele began her professional acting career in 1928 as a stage actress in Leipzig. In 1931 she was given the lead role in the film adaptation of a play she had done there, Gestern und heute but now called Mädchen in Uniform, a tale set in a PrussiaPrussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n boarding school for girls. The film had an all-female cast and Thiele played Manuela, a fourteen year old schoolgirl deeply infatuated with her teacher, Fräulein von Bernburg who was played by Dorothea Wieck. Mädchen in Uniform was distributed internationally and briefly made Thiele a star. She received thousands of fan letters, mostly from women.
In 1932 she starred with Ernst Busch
Ernst Busch
Ernst Bernhard Wilhelm Busch was a German field marshal during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
in Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
's Kuhle Wampe
Kuhle Wampe
Kuhle Wampe is a 1932 German feature film about unemployment and left wing politics in the Weimar Republic. The script was conceived and written by Bertolt Brecht...
. In 1933 Thiele had a leading role in Kleiner Mann, was nun? and was reunited with Dorothea Wieck in another lesbian-themed film, Anna und Elisabeth, which was banned by the Nazis soon after it opened and which she later said was the most important work of her career. She also continued to work in theatre during the early 1930s, including productions with Max Reinhardt
Max Reinhardt
----Max Reinhardt was an Austrian theater and film director and actor.-Biography:...
(Harmonie, 1932) and Veit Harlan
Veit Harlan
Veit Harlan was a German film director and actor.-Life and career:Harlan was born in Berlin. After studying under Max Reinhardt, he first appeared on the stage in 1915 and, after World War I, worked in the Berlin stage. In 1922 he married Jewish actress and cabaret singer Dora Gerson; the couple...
(Veronika, 1935).
Her career was thwarted when the Nazi government approached her with repeated requests to assist in the production of National Socialist
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
. During one meeting with propaganda minister Dr. Joseph Goebbels
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
, who advised Thiele to "familiarise" herself with National Socialism, she replied, "I don't blow with the wind each time it changes directions". Although she made further efforts to reach a workable understanding with Goebbels, by 1936 the Nazis had come to view her work as mostly subversive and she was excluded from the Reichstheater and Reichsfilmkammer. In 1937 she left Germany for Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. It was another five years before she was able to find acting work in Bern.
Later fame in East Germany
Hertha Thiele returned to East Germany after the war but was unsuccessful in her efforts to begin a theatre. She returned to Switzerland and worked as a psychiatric nursing assistant during most of the 1950s and 1960s. In 1966 Thiele again returned to the GDR, working in stage productions in MagdeburgMagdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
and Leipzig. During the 1970s she was often seen on East German television
Deutscher Fernsehfunk
Deutscher Fernsehfunk , known from 1972 to 1990 as Fernsehen der DDR , was the state television broadcaster in East Germany.-Foundation:...
acting in sundry series and made-for-television films which were virtually unknown in West Germany, including the popular Polizeiruf 110
Polizeiruf 110
Polizeiruf 110 is a long running German language detective television series. The first episode was broadcast 27 June 1971 in the German Democratic Republic , and after the dissolution of Fernsehen der DDR the series was picked up by ARD...
. In 1975 Thiele's work was featured in a television documentary, Das Herz auf der linken Seite and in 1983 a monograph on her life and work was published by Deutsche Kinematek.
Thiele reportedly married more than once. One of her husbands was actor Heinz Klingenberg.
Towards the end of her life, western feminists researching the history of Mädchen in Uniform sought her out and she enjoyed a small measure of renewed cult celebrity before her death in 1984.
In 1998 German film historians Heide Schlüpmann and Karola Gramman noted "her acting success may well have been based upon her image which met the homo-erotic desires of both men and women, though perhaps more those of women", and that Hertha Thiele "told us she would have liked to have played a 'proper love scene' with a man, once in her life: her image, moulded by men, didn't allow her the expression of this desire".
Filmography before 1937
- Mädchen in Uniform (1931)
- Kuhle Wampe (1932)
- Frau Lehmanns Töchter (1932)
- Die elf Schill'schen Offiziere (1932)
- Das erste Recht des Kindes (1932)
- Kleiner Mann - was nun? (1933)
- Anna und Elisabeth (1933)
- Elisabeth und der Narr (1933)
Filmography after 1966
- Geheimcode b 13 (1967)
- Der Mörder sitzt im Wembley-Stadion (1970)
- Herr Peter Squenz (1971)
- Husaren in Berlin (1971)
- Istanbul-Masche (1971)
- Lützower (1972)
- Florentiner 73 (1972)
- Reife Kirschen (1972)
- Die Legende von Paul und Paula (1973)
- Neues aus der Florentiner 73 (1974)
- Die Bibliothekarin (1976)
- Hostess (1976)
- Die unverbesserliche Barbara (1976)
- Don Juan, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 78 (1979)
- Insel im See (1980)
East German television series
- Polizeiruf 110: Minuten zu spät (1972)
- Die Verschworenen (1972)
- Adam und Eva (1973)
- Der Staatsanwalt hat das Wort: ...und wenn ich nein sage? (1973)
- Polizeiruf 110: Schwarze Ladung (1976)