"Student Gerber" is a carefully made, well acted Austrian film drama concerning an authoritarian mathematics teacher in the 1930s and the effects of his classroom harshness on his students (particularly the title character). Too staid and straightforward for international attention, pic is nonetheless worth a look see for specialized uses for a well-crafted narrative film.
Adapted by Wolfgang Glueck from a 1930 novel by Friedrich Torberg, "Gerber" is set in the 1930s, but thankfully does not overdo the period details or nostalgia trappings (making for a contemporary feel). Professor Kupfer (nicknamed God Kupfer by students and colleagues due to his rigid attitudes) is the new math teacher for a graduating class, having a run-in the first day with uppity student Kurt Gerber (Gabriel Barylli). A stickler for rules and top performance, Kupfer is not content with just giving his students difficult assignments and exams, but is constantly needling them with snide remarks.
Gerber becomes the spokesman of the class's resistance to Kupfer, but gets failing marks for his efforts, a serious problem as he is a good student out to please his parents and win others' approval. The hellish ordeal of oral finals before Kupfer ultimately drives Gerber to suicide.
Though the film is clearly a study of fascist behavior and its effects on the subjugated individual, the performances virtually reverse the viewer's sympathies. Nominal hero Gerber is a selfish and immoral youngster who lies, forges and misleads to get his own way. As enacted by a bland Gabriel Barylli, the character is very difficult to empathize with, though it is easy to identify with his situation.
On the other hand, Werner Kreindl gives a superbly controlled performance as the villain of the piece, commanding screen attention with the same force he uses to control his students. Never resorting to violence or raising his voice, he is a chilling figure, dishing out "unsatisfactory" marks to his students like death sentences. It is so delightful to watch a memorable baddie that the piece's thematics become obscured.
Except for a lengthy mid-film interlude of a skiing outing where Gerber unsuccessfully attempts to win the heart of beautiful former student Lisa Berwald (Doris Mayer), pic is suitably tense. Amplified sound recording on the set adds bite to the verbal exchanges, while cinematographer Xaver Schwarzenberger (taking time off from his steady R. W. Fassbinder assignments) uses source lighting for dramatic compositions, frequently giving Kupfer a window-lit half in shadow look. Supporting cast is fine.
My review was written in May 1982 after a Midtown Manhattan screening.
Adapted by Wolfgang Glueck from a 1930 novel by Friedrich Torberg, "Gerber" is set in the 1930s, but thankfully does not overdo the period details or nostalgia trappings (making for a contemporary feel). Professor Kupfer (nicknamed God Kupfer by students and colleagues due to his rigid attitudes) is the new math teacher for a graduating class, having a run-in the first day with uppity student Kurt Gerber (Gabriel Barylli). A stickler for rules and top performance, Kupfer is not content with just giving his students difficult assignments and exams, but is constantly needling them with snide remarks.
Gerber becomes the spokesman of the class's resistance to Kupfer, but gets failing marks for his efforts, a serious problem as he is a good student out to please his parents and win others' approval. The hellish ordeal of oral finals before Kupfer ultimately drives Gerber to suicide.
Though the film is clearly a study of fascist behavior and its effects on the subjugated individual, the performances virtually reverse the viewer's sympathies. Nominal hero Gerber is a selfish and immoral youngster who lies, forges and misleads to get his own way. As enacted by a bland Gabriel Barylli, the character is very difficult to empathize with, though it is easy to identify with his situation.
On the other hand, Werner Kreindl gives a superbly controlled performance as the villain of the piece, commanding screen attention with the same force he uses to control his students. Never resorting to violence or raising his voice, he is a chilling figure, dishing out "unsatisfactory" marks to his students like death sentences. It is so delightful to watch a memorable baddie that the piece's thematics become obscured.
Except for a lengthy mid-film interlude of a skiing outing where Gerber unsuccessfully attempts to win the heart of beautiful former student Lisa Berwald (Doris Mayer), pic is suitably tense. Amplified sound recording on the set adds bite to the verbal exchanges, while cinematographer Xaver Schwarzenberger (taking time off from his steady R. W. Fassbinder assignments) uses source lighting for dramatic compositions, frequently giving Kupfer a window-lit half in shadow look. Supporting cast is fine.
My review was written in May 1982 after a Midtown Manhattan screening.
