Der Blaue Engel (1930)

The scene that I chose in the film was when Professor Raft was forced to return back to Blue Angel and to perform as a clown against his wishes, but agree because of his wife Lola. Then she was seduced by another man in front of her husband and she did not oblique. And he was forced to go on stage as if nobody notices what was going on around them. He was ridicule on the stage as a clown, all these makes him go temporary insane. He was restraint and put in a straight jacket. Later on, he was released when he calm down by his producer who told him that it is just a dame and he was an intellectual person. He went back to his classroom to cry and refuses to leave.

I like this part because everything begins in Blue Angel and end there.  The professor glory started in his home town where Blue Angel was located and he reached his downfall there, too.

1)    I can compare Rath/Lola to Siddhartha/Kamala in some ways;

a)    Lola and Kamala knows how to control their men into doing their wishes. Lola was able to convince Professor Rath to join the acting group by following her around and to return back to Blue Angel. While Kamala was able to convince Siddhartha to get a job if he wants to stay with her.

b)    Kamala care about Siddhartha and in the story she did not cheat on him during their relationship while Lola use Rath to suit her purpose like puppet and she cheated on him during their married life,

c)    Kamala loves her men because they can get her material things that she needs while Lola preferred men that can fight over her.

2)    I think she is both emancipated and totally impassive. She had right to perform on the stage the way she wants and she was not under her husband control. She was totally impassive towards the Professor when he was going temporary insane. She made him into that and she did not care what happens to him. During his temporary insane, she went on to perform on the stage and pretends that noting happen or what happen does not bother her and it was not her fault. Even she makes fun of him on the stage. She has no conscience.

3)    The significant of the clown was to show the downfall of the Professor and to ridicule him in front of his home town.

4)    Chaos was thematically represented in the film in several places;

a)    When the other students that visited the Blue Angel was bullying one student for telling Professor Raft about their night ordeal.

b)    When Professor Raft stood up for Lola by slapping her producer and the Nazi for trying to seduce or auction her off for a bottle of champagne. 

c)    In the classroom when the students were making fun and disrespecting Professor Raft and another Professor has to caught in.

d)    During Professor Raft returns back to his home town and the Blue Angel. Mr. Hans Adelbert Mazeppa was seducing Lola and she was enjoying it, in front of husband, the Professor, these made him temporary insane along with being ridicule as a clown in front of the whole town including their governor. He ran into the room and tried to choke her and Mr. Hans. He was put in a restraint jacket and locked up in a room.

5)    I can interpret the overall meaning of the film as a struggle between love and betrayal, authority and disobedient. The love Professor Raft gave to Lola and the betrayal she gave back to him in returned. And between the authority and power of Professor Raft and disobedient of his student. And in return Professor Raft disobedient to the school authority.

6)    You compare Rath to Hausmann because Raft was intellectual, physically and spiritually but lacks ability to share in the sensual pleasures of the world from his bookish and scholarly lifestyle until he met Lola. He crosses over into the other realm and resulted in destructive characters. And the Raoul Haussmann is like a man that work most of the time by clock and no time for pleasures which leaves a hole in his life.