"I Don't Want to Be a Man" is a splendid showcase for the acting talents of Ossi Oswalda, the extremely talented (and pretty) soubrette of German silent films. She spends a substantial portion of this film dressed as a man, visiting the dance halls of post-war Berlin ... and the movie resembles a delightful warm-up for a German version of 'Victor/Victoria' (which was indirectly adapted from a German source).
Oswalda plays a wilful young woman named Ossi Oswalda (her own name!) who lives with her wealthy uncle and a strict governess. Because the uncle can't control his niece, he engages a man named Kursten to supervise her. Kursten turns out to be a handsome man about thirty years old.
It is repeatedly impressed upon Ossi that her freedom must be restricted because she is female. (Quite believable, this, in 1919 ... when German women didn't have the vote.) Yet, for all her alleged restrictions, Ossi has no difficulty going out by herself to a haberdashery, where she outfits herself in a man's formal evening outfit. There's an amusing scene in which several male shopclerks compete for the pleasure of taking Ossi's measurements.
Back in her room, Ossi struggles with her male costume's stiff celluloid collar as she discovers that perhaps men don't have all the advantages after all. (No, but in 1919 women were still wearing corsets.) With her long hair tucked down the back of her collar, Ossi looks like a teenage boy rather than a man, but she does indeed appear convincingly male ... even though she makes no attempt to suppress her bustline. The most unconvincing part of Ossi's disguise is a ridiculous monocle.
Now this young 'man' goes out for a night on the town, and the 'night' is as fake as Ossi's manhood. (The exterior sequences of Berlin take place in the evening, but were clearly shot day-for-night.) In a dancehall, Ossi sees a young fraulein breaking off with her boyfriend ... none other than Kursten. When Ossi introduces 'himself', Kursten fails to recognise this young 'man' as his own female charge Ossi (I found this quite believable, in view of Oswalda's excellent disguise). One thing leads to another, and soon Ossi is (somewhat unwillingly) experiencing several male rituals such as cigar-smoking, which she thoroughly dislikes. Feeling sick, this young 'man' gets up and rushes for the public lavatory. Guess which one.
SPOILERS COMING. As Kursten becomes increasingly drunk, he starts to look like Rowan Atkinson. Kursten and his 'boy' friend land up in a horse-drawn cab, where they drunkenly start kissing each other! For contrived reasons, each of the two drunkards ends up at the other one's home. The next morning, still in her male disguise, Ossi wakes up in Kursten's bed ... while Kursten wakes up in Ossi's bed, just as the governess arrives to awaken its occupant!
Although Ossi Oswalda's male disguise is highly convincing, most of this movie is rather implausible. Also, the plotline toys with several sexual taboos but doesn't really do anything about them. Several attractive young women flirt with the 'male' Ossi, but this is not developed. When Ossi feels sick in the dance-hall, she runs to the female lavatory ... but stops short outside, as she remembers she's pretending to be male just now. Then she goes to the male lavatory ... but, again, she stops short outside without going in. Perhaps the filmmakers were afraid that audiences in 1919 Germany would be offended if this movie's cross-sex theme was more fully developed. There is of course a reassuring ending, with Ossi safely back in skirts and shirtwaists, vowing "I don't want to be a man" and falling in love with Kursten. But why is she attracted to a man who kisses drunken teenage boys? I'll rate this movie 7 points out of 10.
Oswalda plays a wilful young woman named Ossi Oswalda (her own name!) who lives with her wealthy uncle and a strict governess. Because the uncle can't control his niece, he engages a man named Kursten to supervise her. Kursten turns out to be a handsome man about thirty years old.
It is repeatedly impressed upon Ossi that her freedom must be restricted because she is female. (Quite believable, this, in 1919 ... when German women didn't have the vote.) Yet, for all her alleged restrictions, Ossi has no difficulty going out by herself to a haberdashery, where she outfits herself in a man's formal evening outfit. There's an amusing scene in which several male shopclerks compete for the pleasure of taking Ossi's measurements.
Back in her room, Ossi struggles with her male costume's stiff celluloid collar as she discovers that perhaps men don't have all the advantages after all. (No, but in 1919 women were still wearing corsets.) With her long hair tucked down the back of her collar, Ossi looks like a teenage boy rather than a man, but she does indeed appear convincingly male ... even though she makes no attempt to suppress her bustline. The most unconvincing part of Ossi's disguise is a ridiculous monocle.
Now this young 'man' goes out for a night on the town, and the 'night' is as fake as Ossi's manhood. (The exterior sequences of Berlin take place in the evening, but were clearly shot day-for-night.) In a dancehall, Ossi sees a young fraulein breaking off with her boyfriend ... none other than Kursten. When Ossi introduces 'himself', Kursten fails to recognise this young 'man' as his own female charge Ossi (I found this quite believable, in view of Oswalda's excellent disguise). One thing leads to another, and soon Ossi is (somewhat unwillingly) experiencing several male rituals such as cigar-smoking, which she thoroughly dislikes. Feeling sick, this young 'man' gets up and rushes for the public lavatory. Guess which one.
SPOILERS COMING. As Kursten becomes increasingly drunk, he starts to look like Rowan Atkinson. Kursten and his 'boy' friend land up in a horse-drawn cab, where they drunkenly start kissing each other! For contrived reasons, each of the two drunkards ends up at the other one's home. The next morning, still in her male disguise, Ossi wakes up in Kursten's bed ... while Kursten wakes up in Ossi's bed, just as the governess arrives to awaken its occupant!
Although Ossi Oswalda's male disguise is highly convincing, most of this movie is rather implausible. Also, the plotline toys with several sexual taboos but doesn't really do anything about them. Several attractive young women flirt with the 'male' Ossi, but this is not developed. When Ossi feels sick in the dance-hall, she runs to the female lavatory ... but stops short outside, as she remembers she's pretending to be male just now. Then she goes to the male lavatory ... but, again, she stops short outside without going in. Perhaps the filmmakers were afraid that audiences in 1919 Germany would be offended if this movie's cross-sex theme was more fully developed. There is of course a reassuring ending, with Ossi safely back in skirts and shirtwaists, vowing "I don't want to be a man" and falling in love with Kursten. But why is she attracted to a man who kisses drunken teenage boys? I'll rate this movie 7 points out of 10.