Die Neue Zeit (2019–…): Season 1, Episode 4 - Die Frauenklasse - full transcript

THE NEW ERA

THE WOMEN'S COURSE

Jonas, you got to milk the cows.

Shut up, or I'll slap you.

Help!

Help! Come, quick!

It's Johannes!

Quick, we need to cut the rope.

Auerbach left her a note,

confessing that he had lied
about the exmatriculation.

So she came crawling back to you
begging for mercy. Is that it?



You know what?

Marcel's chairs are beautiful,
but they're harder than your questions.

Would you like something to eat?
A sandwich?

Tuna, chicken?

Chicken.

Martin?

Yes?

Can you make us
two chicken salad sandwiches, please?

Of course.

And maybe bring us a few bottles of beer.

This may take a while.

Very well, Mr Gropius.

She was not the type to beg for mercy.

Not at all.



But when I heard
about her misery...

Did she write to you?

No, Gunta told me.

Auerbach had lost all his money in that
endeavor and they all knew about it.

It keeps coming off again.

Take a little more water,
it'll make it softer.

What kind of man is this?

An ugly one.

I've been thinking about myself a lot.

I've nothing in me that's entirely unique.

I mean, nothing that's very special.

I'll never be a great artist.

Not if you stay here with these madmen.

But there is something I'd... like to do.

Something I think I'd be good at.

I could become a teacher.

You like teaching the children here?

No. At the Bauhaus.

The Academy will need new teachers
for the new sets of students.

That's correct.

But you'd have to complete
your own studies first.

She wanted to come back.

And I wanted to help her to follow her
dream.

So I convinced all the masters
to allow her to return.

Sure.

Sure, Wright. Classic Arts and Craft.

Frank Lloyd Wright
is the greatest living architect.

Arts and Craft.
- He has a distinct style.

Clean and simple.

Yes, solid craftsmanship.

Want to see something simple?
I got something.

Just for you.

Here. This is simple. This is clean.

Rietveld's Red and Blue Chair.

He's part of the Dutch De Stijl group,
with Piet Mondrian and Theo van Doesburg.

They only have horizontal or vertical lines
and primary colours.

Your problem is, you don't build anything,
neither vertical nor horizontal.

Exactly. I'm here to study architecture.

If things don't change soon,
we'll be left behind.

You're right there, Gropius must finally
get the architecture course going.

Look who's here...

Dörte!

Here you go.

Tell us all.

No, you first. What's new?

We have new chairs.
- Yes.

Look.

This is...
very different to the African chair.

It's much more simple,
not so much symbolism.

What's wrong with symbolism?

Let's not discuss this now.
- Why not?

It's exhausting.

What are you doing?

I'm working with glass,
sculptures made from glass.

And I'm studying Weaving
under Helene Börner.

She's a new master.

She's a little...

But she brought a perfectly equipped
workshop with her.

That's great, you really wanted this.

Look, Gunta, what do you think? Hello.

This is Anni.
- Hello.

Anni, this is Dörte Helm.

I told you about her.

Ah, the deregistered rebel.

So this is my reputation?

What's this?

The design for a rug I'm doing.

Are you in the Weaving too?

Are you visiting?

No, I'm continuing my studies.

Glass Painting or Murals,
I'm not sure yet.

Is there a problem?

You have to do Weaving.

The women all study Weaving.

What?
- It's the women's course.

The Masters Council decreed it.

Because of the citizens committee.
Gropius wants peace.

He wants peace?

I see.

Sommerfeld wants us to do
the entire design, including the interiors.

So I was wondering, my dear Adolf,

whether I can interest you
in moving to Weimar

to lead my architecture department.

I'm not tied to Berlin,
I can move any time.

But will we find
enough talented staff here?

I'll involve the students in the interiors.

The students?
- Yes, lighting, furniture, murals.

All manufactured here.
We'll even hire extra space.

Building this with students?

They are raw diamonds, Adolf.

Sommerfeld will prefer genuine diamonds.

Sommerfeld is a businessman,
he'll gladly accept uncut diamonds.

He doesn't want grey-haired plasterers,
I know that for a fact.

So, come on, Adolf, please,
what do you say?

Mr Gropius...

I told her you're in a meeting.

I'm sorry, I thought it was
an excuse not to see me.

Why wouldn't I see you?

I don't know, like I don't know why you're
treating women worse than you promised.

It's fine, thank you.

May I introduce Mr Meyer? We ran
an architect's office in Berlin together.

This is Miss Helm.

It's a pleasure.

Are you studying here?

Yes. Embroidery, knitting and crochet.

I was just trying to convince Mr Meyer
to come to Weimar.

Did you design this?

Yes.

That's nice.
- Thanks.

Listen, Master Helene Börner
is running a perfectly equipped workshop.

Gunta used the exact same words.

Maybe it's just
a perfectly equipped workshop.

Why don't you have a look at it first?

"Dear Mother, dear Father,

you'll be pleased to hear
I have left the kibbutz

and returned to the Bauhaus.

The Masters Council
revoked my deregistration.

Here, too, emancipation is being curbed.

All women must study
in the Weaving department.

Master Helene Börner
isn't exactly progressive.

But her workshop
is simply perfectly equipped.

Furthermore, us women not only
tend to the fields, but also the kitchen.

To be honest, I wonder
how I'm supposed to earn extra money,

but I'm sure
everything will fall into place.

I have no reason to complain.

The whole country seems to be hungry.

We have enough here,
and I'm happy to be back in Weimar.

I'll write again soon.

Yours, Dorothea"

I really don't know what I came back for.

If anything innovative
comes from this school,

we'll have knotted the rugs.

I won't have you insult my craft.

That's not the point.

Equality was important to Gropius,
it's in the manifesto.

The Masters voted unanimously
for the women's course.

Hi Josef.

You got something for me?
- Yes.

This much?

Thank you, that's brilliant.

Thank you, thanks a lot.

And a bowl of soup, please.

Thank you.

Josef makes the most beautiful
glass sculptures.

I asked the glazier, by the way.

He's not employing
any more Bauhaus students.

I'll find something else. Thanks.

Evening.
- Good evening.

Walter.

Will this be a lecture, Director?

No, don't worry.

This is Sommerfeld House.

I want to enable some selected students

to work for me on this project.

As you know, we're still lacking
an architecture course.

Fine, and which crafts are to be included?

Carpentry, Murals, Glass Painting...

I think it's a brilliant idea.

Will they get paid?

Yes, of course.

Why do you keep nodding?

You just carry on nodding.

We get that you think it's a good idea

to instrumentalise the students
for Mr Gropius's designs.

Instrumentalise?
- Yes.

Your constant nodding
doesn't make it right.

What's wrong with it?

The students are meant
to develop their own ideas.

But, Johannes, our school's concept
was to be a strong community,

to unite the arts in construction.

A strong community
consists of strong individuals

developing their own ideas, not yours.

You prefer yours, don't you?

What?

I'm talking about Mazdaznan.
- What does...

You want the Bauhaus to provide a space
for the students' artistic development,

but you turn them into lemmings
who blindly follow your religion.

They do so of their own free will.

And they can also join my office
of their own free will.

Why don't you sit down?

Mr Gropius. Half woman
and half man, how indecisive.

It's progressive.

Dr Freud says
both sexes are represented in all of us.

The theme is role reversal.

Fine, let's toast this successful party.

Cheers.

Marcel, do you have a moment?

Yes, of course.

I bet he's asking him.

I hope so, he'd love to be part of it.

Of what?
- Sommerfeld House.

He asked me to design the windows.

You don't know yet?

Gropius is inviting a few students
to work with him.

I did know.

Time to dance.
- Yes.

One or two more floors, can you do that?

Sure, no problem.

Come.

So... this is the office.

A beautiful office.

And this...

is the design.

It's...

It's very... interesting.

"Interesting?"

Come on, tell me what you really think.

It's a nice residence.

But here...

here you had progressed much further.

I'm sorry.

No need to apologise.

The Fagus Factory was clean, simple.

Untreated materials,

glass, steel, Fagus was a work of genius.

Sommerfeld House is nice,
but very... expressionist.

Yes, you're right.

But I don't think Mr Sommerfeld
would like to sleep in a factory.

You see, it's a residential building,
so man must be at the centre.

That's what Frank Lloyd Wright says.

But Theo van Doesburg says
all this is wrong.

Everything must be reduced,

basic shapes, primary colours,
it must be minimalist.

I know what Theo van Doesburg says,
but he's wrong.

But...

If we ignore the human element,

we repeat the mistakes
of the Industrial Revolution.

I don't like the whole Mazdaznan cult
and esotericism,

but at least it focuses on people,
not just on technology.

So, do you want
to design the furniture or not?

I'd love to.

Good. Now go and enjoy the party.

Yes. Thank you.

So this is your new office?

Did you follow us?

This isn't a secret, is it?
- No.

Did you eavesdrop?

I may have.

Do you enjoy eavesdropping?

If it's interesting.

I'm looking for work too.

The workers on a building site

aren't keen on women there.

If you give up all your great ideas,

I'll have nothing left to admire you for.

You see this passage here?

We need a textile wall hanging there.

Would you like to design it?

"Where there's wool, there's women weaving

even if just to pass the time."

Girls' school.

Will I at least get paid?

Tidy up this mess.

I want your private work gone
before the lesson starts.

This is a chair
for the house Gropius built.

I told you to tidy up.

I'm working for the Director.

I don't care if you're carving the altar
for your damned synagogue.

You can't shout at me like this.

Do it!

Stay here!

Marcel?

Prepare the piece, I'll check on you later.

Good morning.
- Morning, Director.

Walter.

What is it?

I don't want to take time out of your
lesson, but we need to clarify something.

As you know, Mr Breuer
is working day and night on our...

I just told him to tidy his work station.

Can you let me finish, please? Thank you.

Master Zachmann doesn't need telling
how to teach his craft.

Of course. But it's about the tone you use.

Sommerfeld is a community project.

Very well. But in his spare time.

Johannes, he worked all night.

Delaying the start of the lesson
for the other students.

I was only going to explain
our tight deadlines,

but I detect real opposition
against our community project.

We'll talk later.

Mr Zachmann,
you'll be courteous towards all students,

wherever they're from.

Carry on.

Let's try again,
I'm sure we'll find that puncture.

I just don't get it.

Now put it into the water.

I don't get why Itten
is so opposed to this project.

It's not just about the project.

It goes deeper than that.

You've always been competitors,

the two most important Masters,
deciding the school's direction.

And we always complemented each other.

Yes, but...

Maybe he's just become too powerful.

He's running all the workshops
and the preliminary course.

You mean I should appoint new Masters?

I found the puncture.

Oh, that's great.

Now we'll patch it up.

Careful.

You better take a break.

I'm fine.

Master Itten.
- Master Börner.

Dörte.

Hi.

Is this your design for Sommerfeld House?

Yes.

These are Joost's woodcarvings,
you already know Breuer's armchairs.

And this is the exterior.

And where are you?

In the Weaving department.

What was that?
- Did someone fall off the loom?

Gunta.

Can you hear me?

Gunta...
- Someone get a doctor.

A doctor, quick.
- Careful.

We need water.
- Get water!

What happened?

What...
- My god.

Have you eaten anything today?

I have three invitations
to guest lecturers,

Oskar Schlemmer, Stuttgart,
Paul Klee, Munich,

and Theo van Doesburg, Amsterdam.

Can you please...

Excuse me.

I need to talk to you immediately.

Yes, fine.

Gunta Stölzl fell of the Jacquard loom.

What? How come?

She hadn't eaten all day
and it's your fault.

Mine?

The weaving work is too hard.

You want equality or special treatment?

You can't be serious.

The work is hard because
we're up before dawn, tending the fields,

weaving, cooking, serving food, clearing
and washing up, then back to weaving.

Men just can't cook.

But they can work in the fields.

I'm often too tired to undress
before going to bed.

And we can't even decide
what we're studying.

That wasn't my idea.

I know, it was the citizens committee's
and you're bowing to them.

They don't want peace,
they want to subdue you.

The women's course
was Gunta Stölzl's idea.

What?

Yes, she wrote an article
in the student magazine.

It fits.

Are you serious?

"Weaving is predominantly a women's craft."

Dörte, you were away.

It gets better.

"Playing with colours,
a heightened sense of materials,

the ability to empathise and adapt,

a rhythmical rather than logical approach,

all general attributes
of the female character

with a special predisposition
for creativity in the textile field."

Are you insane?

I'm in pain, leave me.

How could you write that?

She's in pain, leave her.

It's my opinion.

Yes, it's her opinion.

Is she your parrot?

Get lost, Dörte.

No, it's fine. Wait outside, please.

It's your fault we're left behind. Thanks.

That's not true.

The weaving is starting to make money,
it's a success.

Do you think we women
would have had any other...

We're a great support to the Bauhaus.

Yes. Once again, women provide support.

In the background.

"THE EXCHANGE"
EDITORIAL OFFICE

Morning.
- Good morning.

It'll have to wait till next month.

No, it must go in the current issue,
with this print.

What is this?

An arguing couple.

And you want this published?

Are you sure?

Yes.

Stop the press, we need to make a change.

This goes on the cover.

Stop complaining.
Trust me, it'll be worth it.

"Since 1909,
women have had the right to enrolment.

Since 1920,
they can even gain professorship.

Since the Weimar Republic was founded,
all women are eligible to vote.

So how can it be, that in the Republic's
capital, of all places,

a small group of stubborn conservatives

can exert so much pressure
via the Education Minister

to bully our school's Director?

Gropius has curbed his self-declared aim
of equality at the state-funded Bauhaus.

Are we female students
going to put up with it?"

Dörte Helm.

Who's Dörte Helm?

She unfurled the banner
at the funeral procession.

"The Arguing Couple."

What's this lady's relationship
with our dear Mr Gropius?

Are we meant to dig potatoes now?

Look, there she is. Great article.

Well done.

Miss Helm.
- Yes?

I read your article.

Great work.

Miss Helm is here.

Yes, show her in.

Have a seat.
- No, thank you.

What's this?

It says in there.

Why is nobody
giving me more trouble than you?

I'm wondering too.

What is it you want?
- You know.

I gave you work as the only woman.

Am I meant to be grateful?

Do you know how hard it is to run a school?

No, I've no idea.

You should have thought twice
before making us strive for freedom.

You owe me gratitude for that,

because otherwise you'd still be
sat on Daddy's lap, drawing fairy tales.

Run out of things to say?

I thought you had
a clever riposte to everything?

I have another question.

What's with the "Arguing Couple"
in your article?

Who are they meant to be? Us?

I'm a married man
and you're a student under my protection.

We're no "couple" and never will be.

How arrogant you are.

You must think you're irresistible.

You've no idea
how off-putting your conformism is.

Get out.
- I was about to leave.

Get out.

Is your shoulder better?

This seat's taken.

Gunta.

Quiet! Can we have silence, please?

Let's all welcome
today's three guest speakers.

The artist Paul Klee.

Oskar Schlemmer.

And one of the founder members of the Dutch
"De Stijl" group, Theo van Doesburg.

Hang on, why are you clapping?

I haven't said anything profound yet.

Mr van Doesburg will be first,

we look forward to your speech.

Please, Director Gropius,

would you care to stay for a moment?

I haven't prepared a speech.

But I'd like to ask you a few questions.

Fine.

You've just completed Sommerfeld House.

And I have to say, it's an expressionist
"Gesamtkunstwerk" in my opinion.

Yes, thanks, you could say that.
It's really...

But, to me,
expressionism in architecture...

is a mere historical interlude.

Because expressionism
neglects a vital insight,

published as early as 1896 by the great
American architect Louis Sullivan.

„form follows function“

Form always follows function.

It applies everywhere, including in nature.

A swan's neck wouldn't be so long,

if it wasn't hunting.

But the design aspiration of expressionism

is nothing more than ornamentation.

It's just gratuitous... how do you say...

frippery.

Yes... well...

I'm all for arguing about art.

And I'll respond
with another quote by Sullivan.

"What you are within,
your buildings are without."

Sullivan puts the person first, which is
why he doesn't reject ornamentation.

Because ornamentation also has a function,

an aesthetic one.

"What you are within,
your buildings are without."

Yes.

So let me tell you what I am within.
- Please do.

What De Stijl is...

No embellishments, nothing gratuitous,

only considering the veracity
of the object itself.

Truth through beauty,

mechanism through craftsmanship,

collectivism rather than individualism,

this is what I want to contribute here.

How long has Doesburg been living here?

He's been living in his studio
for two weeks.

According to Rietveld,
it's not about striving for perfection,

but for a new design language.

I'm now going to tell you a secret.

On the first chair,

Rietveld stuck a poem behind the back rest,

by Christian Morgenstern.

It goes like this.

"I don't want to sit
like my posterior prefers to,

but how my interior, were it to sit,
would weave this chair."

I'm assuming you all know

that Director Gropius decided

to appoint Paul Klee
and Oskar Schlemmer as Masters.

But not me.

It's not a problem.

I sent this postcard
to a friend in Amsterdam today.

I'm sorry, it's in Dutch.

It means,

"Before the collapse,

there will be bombing

by dimensional Stijl artillery."

What does this mean?

What do you think?

Do you think you can change the world

by dancing naked through the bushes

and having the sun shine
out of your backside?

I want to instil in you the poison

of the new spirit.

I'll give you private lessons, all of you,

until I've taken over the school.

The human form.

I welcome you as the new Master
of the Murals course

which Master Itten passed on to me.

My brother Carl, as your Work Master,
will take care of your technical education.

Hello everyone.

So...

The stuff you're painting,
you'll have to sort out with Oskar.

But how to paint it
without paint dripping all over the wall,

is what I'll teach you, all right?

First of all,
it's important to thoroughly...

Sorry, please carry on.

Hello...

And who are you?

Dörte Helm.

Your speech impressed me, Mr Schlemmer.

I'd like to attend your lessons.

Well, yes, that's good to hear.

Well, then, continue, dear Brother.

What do you mean, continue?

What about her?

She wants to listen in.

I don't think so.

She can do knitting with Börner.

You won't notice me.

Out.
- Excuse me?

I said, out!

Carl...

Are you hard of hearing?

Off you go.

But...

Bloody hell.

What's that about?

A decorative intervention in public space,

utilising an otherwise
pointless surface for art.

Like a Renaissance sgraffito.

A sgraffito?

I see.

We already had the first letter
about your sgraffito,

do you want to read the death threat?

No. Thank you.

What do you actually want?

I want to study with Schlemmer.
- Why?

He puts the person first.

What's that supposed to mean?

Simply that he puts the person first.

What are you going to do now?

Hope that the paint will wash off...

report an unknown person for damage,

and before you cause
any more public interventions,

just study with Schlemmer, god damn it.

Thank you.

You can read blueprints?
- Yes.

Hello.
- Ah, ladies.

Gentlemen, these are
your new fellow students.

Please take a table, have a seat.

Oskar, what's this?
- Later.

Jena Municipal Theatre.

Mr Gropius's
architecture office has invited us

to be involved in the renovations.

As with Sommerfeld House, students
from all courses are allowed to contribute.

We're responsible
for the wall and ceiling paintings.

Let your imagination run wild.

Well, it seems Mr Gropius opened
the women's course at the right time.

Yes. We're glad
we're allowed to contribute.

I'll tell you what my father used to say.

He used to say,
"A cobbler should stick to his last."

They put three women on our course.

The theatre's ceilings
are up to 12 metres high.

There's no way
those girls can work up there,

on the rickety scaffolding,

it's simply impossible.

I have two of them in Carpentry.

One of them
nearly chopped her thumb off today.

It's ridiculous.

And you'll be blamed for it.
- Exactly.

Good evening, gentlemen.

May I buy you a schnaps?

By all means.
- Have a seat.

A bottle of Jenever.

Right away, Sir.

She knows her place.

Yes, that's right.

You must excuse me, I inadvertently
overheard your conversation.

It's like this...

Enjoy.
- Thank you.

It's simply incomprehensible

why Mr Gropius
is allowing the female students

to get away with anything they want.

Especially Dörte Helm.
- Yes, Helm.

The one who wrote the article.

It's obvious.

She's letting him do her.

Are you serious?

Look at it, his wife's in Vienna,
all the girls adore him.

Of course he's going to give her one.

Do you suspect Gropius to have an affair
with Miss Helm, or do you know it?

Everyone knows it.

Cheers.
- Cheers.

Or else this Helm couldn't
open her unruly mouth like this.

Exactly.

Don't you agree?
- That's right.