Die freudlose Gasse (1925)

Director:

Georg Wilhelm Pabst

Writers:

Hugo Bettauer (novel) and
F.H. Lyon (translator)

Release Date:

5 July 1927 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Vienna in the biggest depression, directly after WW1. In a slum, Lila Leid, the wife of lawyer Leid is murdered...

Plot Keywords:

Money | Food | Nightclub | Depression | Brothel

Cast

Renate Brausewetter	...	Frau (uncredited)
Gregori Chmara	...	Kellner (uncredited)
Mario Cusmich	...	Col. Irving (uncredited)
Agnes Esterhazy	...	Regina Rosenow (uncredited)
Karl Etlinger	...	Max Rosenow (uncredited)
Maria Forescu	...	Uncredited (uncredited)
Jaro Fürth	...	Hofrat Rumfort (uncredited)
Greta Garbo	...	Greta Rumfort (uncredited)
Robert Garrison	...	Don Alfonso Canez (uncredited)
Valeska Gert	...	Mrs. Greifer (uncredited)
Tamara Geva	...	Lia Leid (uncredited)
Ilka Grüning	...	Mrs. Rosenow (uncredited)
Einar Hanson	...	Lt. Davis (uncredited)
Max Kohlhase	...	Maria's Father (uncredited)
Krafft-Raschig	...	American Soldier (uncredited)
Werner Krauss	...	Butcher of Melchior Street (uncredited)
Lya Mara	...	Uncredited (uncredited)
Edna Markstein	...	Mrs. Merkel (uncredited)
Alexander Murski	...	Dr. Leid (uncredited)
Loni Nest	...	Rosa Rumfort (uncredited)
Asta Nielsen	...	Maria Lechner (uncredited)
Iván Petrovich	...	Uncredited (uncredited)
Raskatoff	...	Trebitsch (uncredited)
Otto Reinwald	...	(uncredited)
Henry Stuart	...	Egon Stirner (uncredited)
Gräfin Tolstoi	...	Fräulein Henriette (uncredited)
Sylvia Torf	...	Maria's Mother (uncredited)
Hertha von Walther	...	Else (uncredited)

Also Known As:

Joyless Street (UK)
The Joyless Street (USA)
The Street of Sorrow (USA)
Viennese Love (Canada: English title)

Runtime:

125 min | France:94 min (1981 restored version) | Germany:175 min (1998 restored version at Berlin Film Festival, 16 fps) | Spain:109 min | Belgium:115 min (copy with English titles at Brussels Musée du Cinéma) | Germany:148 min (1998 restored version at Arte/ZDF, 19 fps) | 142 min (1998 restored version on DVD, 20 fps) | Germany:151 min (2009 DVD, 19 fps)

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Iceland:L | Finland:(Banned) (1925)

Company:

Sofar-Film

Trivia:

The dark-haired woman waiting in the butcher shop line who is often mistaken for Marlene Dietrich is actually Hertha von Walther. She had a much larger role in the original uncut version of the film. She can also be seen as the lab assistant in Geheimnisse einer Seele (1926) with Werner Krauss.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Den talende muse - samtaler med Asta Nielsen (2003)

Memorable Performance By Garbo, Interesting Expressionist Atmosphere

The interesting expressionist atmosphere and, most of all, a memorable performance by Greta Garbo (does she give any other kind?) both make "The Joyless Street" worthwhile. G.W. Pabst's style also makes a good combination with the setting in post-World War I Vienna. The supporting cast is also good, and all of this makes up for the lack of a first-class story.

Garbo is well-cast as the daughter who is the only real hope of an impoverished family trying to survive in a cold, unforgiving postwar city that is ruled by a handful of predatory exploiters. Just her eyes alone communicate volumes, and her character transcends the rest of the material. Pabst wisely included plenty of close-ups of Garbo, and these leave a lasting impression of her character's weary perseverance and strength of character.

Several of the other characters also have interesting stories of their own. There seem to be a number of different versions of the feature, with widely varying lengths, and thus with the story differently edited, so that some versions will work better than others. But regardless of the story, the setting is effectively rendered, and Garbo's performance stands out.