The Song of Songs (1933 film)

The Song of Songs
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Rouben Mamoulian
Screenplay by	Leo Birinski and Samuel Hoffenstein
Based on	from the novel by Hermann Sudermann and the play by Edward Sheldon
Starring	Marlene Dietrich Brian Aherne Lionel Atwill Alison Skipworth
Cinematography	Victor Milner
Music by	Karl Hajos Herman Hand Bernhard Kaun Milan Roder (all uncredited)
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	July 19, 1933 (1933-07-19) (United States)
Running time	90 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The Song of Songs is a 1933 American pre-Code romantic drama film directed by Rouben Mamoulian, starring Marlene Dietrich as a naive German peasant named Lily who moves to Berlin and suffers a considerable amount of heartache. This particular version of the film was based on the 1908 novel The Song of Songs (Das hohe Lied) by Hermann Sudermann. The novel's original title, which translates to English as "The High Song", does indeed refer to the Song of Solomon, which is often described in German as "Das Hohe Lied der Liebe". However, that is not the only possible inference. "HoheLied" has been translated as "ode" "hosannas" "praises" and used in purely secular as well as religious contexts. Most telling in this case is the use in German of the entire phrase to describe the "great song of love" or "ode to love" in Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians. This creates a double layer of meaning to the title of the novel in German, one that could not be duplicated in an English rendition.

The 1914 play, The Song of Songs by Edward Sheldon, also contributed to this version. It is a remake of the 1918 silent film The Song of Songs starring Elsie Ferguson and the 1924 silent film Lily of the Dust with Pola Negri.

Plot

Once in Berlin, Lily meets and poses for Richard, the sculptor who lives across the street. Despite the eventual romance between the two lovers, Lily marries one of Richard's wealthy clients, Baron von Merzbach. By the end of the story, Lily and Richard are reunited after Lily struggles on a personal journey.

Cast

• Marlene Dietrich as Lily
• Brian Aherne as Richard Waldow
• Lionel Atwill as Baron von Merzbach
• Alison Skipworth as Mrs. Rasmussen
• Hardie Albright as Edward von Prell
• Helen Freeman as Miss von Schwertfeger

Uncredited (in order of appearance)

James Marcus	cleric at cemetery who says, "Don't you worry, I'll take care of your father's grave", as Lily kneels with flowers at the grave
Hans Schumm	passenger who walks in front of Lily as she arrives at Berlin train station
Paul Panzer	carriage driver who brings Lily to her aunt's book lending library and says, "Thank you, miss", when she pays him
Richard Bennett	originally cast as Baron von Merzbach but, due to illness, was replaced by Lionel Atwill. Seen from the back and in some longshots
Adrienne D'Ambricourt	French teacher who is tasked by the Baron to provide Lily with culture
Wilson Benge	Baron von Merzbach's servant who informs him that there is a fire at the lodge
Florence Roberts	customer at Lily's aunt's library who argues over how many days she kept a book, "I pay you ten and no more"
Rita La Roy	One of the women who dances with men at the upperclass cafe where Lily has become an escort
Morgan Wallace	Lily's admirer at the upperclass cafe where she is an escort, "What's the matter with you? You go along laughing and singing like everybody else and suddenly you freeze up like this, for no reason"

Reviews and criticism

The Encyclopedia Britannica notes that the film was "dismissed by a number of critics as 'a trite melodrama'. However, it is difficult to either verify the proportion of negative to positive reviews or to substantiate the disdain the professional critic community might have held for the film due to lack of preservation of the actual reviews.

Box office

The film was a box office disappointment for Paramount.

External links

• The Song of Songs at IMDb
• The Song of Songs at AllMovie
• The Song of Songs at the TCM Movie Database