One of the most significant developments of the 20th century was the continuous effort to give rights to those who had previously been marginalised for reasons that are entirely confounding to us today. One of the most resonant examples of this is related to LGBTQIA+ rights, which includes both the decriminalisation of same-sex acts (which was a punishable offence in most countries at the dawn of this era) and the legalisation of civil partnerships and marriages, and its relevance is tied to the fact that it is still an ongoing process to the present day. I’d like to point towards Germany, which is often considered one of the more progressive countries when it comes to social issues, at least in recent decades. However, we find that (much like many European countries) it only took steps to decriminalise sexual acts between same-sex couples in 1969, which is much more recent than many would expect, at least in comparison to other social issues that dominated the discourse at the time. Surprisingly, one of the most progressive works of art on the subject of homosexuality was produced in Germany, in the form of Different from the Others (German: Anders als die Andern), which many consider to be one of the first major works of queer cinema, being made half a century before homosexuality was legalised, making it the very definition of progressive. The story follows Kurt Sivers, a prospective musician who comes to be tutored by Paul Körner, a world-renowned violinist who is adored across the continent. Over time, they fall madly in love with one another, but are unable to be together solely because of the laws keeping them apart. Eventually, their relationship, which has been kept in secret for the most part, is revealed, leading to them both becoming pariahs, despite doing nothing inherently wrong. A film that seems simple on the outset, but has layers of meaning that create something truly memorable, Different from the Others is a revolutionary work, and one of the most important films of its era.

Considering the era in which it was made, Different from the Others seems almost miraculous. Somehow, writer and director Richard Oswald was able to take a subject that is still a topic of widespread contention today (although far from being as controversial as it was at the time) and managed to craft a film that not only addressed the subject in the appropriate terms, but did so far earlier than just about any other work that touched on the matter. Much like another very early queer text, Mädchen in Uniform, this film shows how German art was far more receptive to telling these stories, not being afraid to directly address homosexuality in frank, straightforward terms. What makes the film stand out is not only the subject matter, but also the attitude it takes – its one of the first instances of a film using the term “homosexual”, and while we’d expect this to be a criticism of what many at the time considered a sordid, immoral lifestyle, it is the exact opposite: a deeply compassionate and heartfelt plea to the people of Germany – whether those in power or the general public – to exercise compassion towards those who partook in what many deemed an entirely immoral lifestyle. It was extremely rare to find a film produced in the first half of the 20th century that treated its queer characters with some degree of decency, let alone actively advocating for their rights, both legal and social – and this is primarily why Different from the Others has stood out for so many years, being a simple but direct exploration of sexuality as something that should not be criticised or diminished, but rather celebrated as yet another layer to the human condition. For a film produced in 1919, when the world was a radically different place, it’s astonishing that something like this managed to not only be made, but still be available to us over a hundred years later, where we can witness the fact that there have always been people fighting for the rights of communities, long before legislation emerged to allow it to happen.

The intentions Oswald had when developing Different from the Others were not to make a film that was to be viewed and enjoyed casually by general audiences, but rather as a strictly academic work, designed to be viewed primarily by industry professionals and approved researchers looking into homosexuality, whether as a psychological or physical matter. This explains why the film seems like a very didactic work in which a traditional narrative structure is entirely missing, replaced instead with brief vignettes tied loosely together by a broader subject. Despite being reclaimed as a classic of queer cinema, this film was first and foremost a scientific text, a visual exploration of queerness made by a group of people hired to tell a specific story that functions primarily as a morality tale. We often saw examples of morality tales on screen, where characters find themselves facing hardships after allowing themselves to engage in what many considered to be deviant behaviour. At no point in this film is the relationship between the two men defined as such, with the pure humanity on display throughout proving that this was made by people who were entirely in agreement that homosexuality, while controversial at the time, was nothing other than an entirely natural occurrence, and not the result of some social deterioration, which has always been the perspective offered by conservative groups. The film tackles the subject in a few different ways – one of them is choosing to tell a story that was essentially a romantic melodrama, the story of two men who fall deeply in love with one another based on a shared connection and a common love for music, which the film implies is a universal language that both introduces their bond and strengthens it, allowing them both to find a vessel through which they can channel their existential quandaries. It also contains a few moments where it plays into the scientific and psychological side, exploring the roots of queerness as an innate quality, rather than a choice made by people who want to be different. It’s a strong approach, and one that feels entirely effective considering the themes.

To flesh out these ideas, Oswald makes good use of the resources he had at his disposal. Logically, a film like Different from the Others is not going to be afforded endless resources, and therefore, a lot of the film had to be constructed through more shrewd means. They make the most of what they are given, and while it may not always be particularly alluring on a visual or artistic level, we have to recognise that this is a pro-queer film made in a country where homosexuality was only going to lose its status as a crime in fifty years, so the fact that it was even made in the first place is astonishing. Taken for what it is, we are still very impressed by what we see throughout the film, which is remarkably cohesive for something skirting around the edges of what many considered decency at the time. It’s simply made, without too many lavish setpieces or moments of elaborate flair, which allows it to get to its central point almost immediately. Oswald has the benefit of working with two very strong actors who carry the film almost entirely on their own. The younger of the two is Fritz Schulz, playing the impressionable protagonist whose love affair with an older man is written off as just youthful rebellion, a flight of fancy from someone who allowed his curiosity to run amok, and who will be set on the right path with a bit of work. Obviously, given the nature of the film, this is not the case, with the character of Karl being constructed as someone who comes to learn his identity does not match the standards asserted on him by society, but rather than allowing himself to be manipulated into changing these qualities, the young man decides to be himself, regardless of the cost. His co-lead is the brilliant Conrad Veidt, who would go on to be a defining star, one of the actors who bridged the gap between the silent and sound era. At this point, he was still a relatively obscure working actor, so it was not a risk for him to appear in a film revolving around such a controversial theme. He commands the screen as always, playing a man trying to understand his own identity while also mentoring a young man with whom he develops feelings. It’s a challenging, complex performance from an actor who helped define cinema in its infancy, and whose politics were always admirable, this being one of the many examples of Veidt taking a stand on a progressive topic.

Context is always important when looking at films that function primarily as social or cultural statements. Different from the Others may be quite obvious in the themes that it explores, but based on the period when it was made, it’s evidently beyond a revolutionary work. Taking advantage of the lack of film censorship in Germany at the time, and using it as an opportunity to craft what they considered to be a vital work of socially-consciousness commentary, the filmmakers work to create a film that may not be particularly exciting on an artistic level (in terms of the visual aesthetic or narrative structure), but which is nonetheless still very gripping, if only for the fact that it was daring enough to not only explore a topic like homosexuality when it was still an enormous taboo, but to take a positive stance on it, arguing against the dominant beliefs at the time, which the film acknowledges as being the result of Paragraph 175, the legal framework that outlawed homosexuality in Germany (and was only entirely repealed, whereby every condition and back-alley attempt to define homosexuality as an unnatural sexual proclivity was dismissed, as late as 1994 – the fact that the themes this film was exploring were still part of the national legislature as recently as thirty years ago is astounding), which it vehemently contradicts in how it presents clear, factual evidence that proves the existence of homosexuality as a legitimate identity. It’s worth not only watching this film, but also reading the story of how it came to be, as well as the many works of criticism in which it is discussed. It’s a groundbreaking piece of cinema, and whether fascinated by the history of queerness on screen or simply interested in how cinema addresses social themes in inventive and daring ways,  Different from the Others is an astounding film, and one worth every bit of acclaim it has received over the past century.