| Ripening Youth | |
| Director: | Carl Froelich |
| Producer: | Carl Froelich |
| Music: | Walter Gronostay |
| Cinematography: | Reimar Kuntze |
| Editing: | Gustav Lohse |
| Studio: | Carl Froelich-Film |
| Distributor: | Europa-Filmverleih |
| Runtime: | 115 minutes |
| Country: | Germany |
| Language: | German |
Ripening Youth (German: Reifende Jugend) is a 1933 German drama film directed by Carl Froelich and starring Heinrich George, Peter Voß and Hertha Thiele.[1]
The film's sets were designed by the art directors Karl Machus, Otto Moldenhauer and Franz Schroedter. Location shooting took place at Stralsund on the Baltic coast. It was well-received by the Nazi press on its release, and drew inspiration from the earlier Madchen in Uniform which was admired by film journalists of the Third Reich.[2]
When three girls transfer to an elite school in Lübeck so they can sit their upcoming university entrance examinations this causes disruptions amongst the male students and teachers. One of the girls Elfriede becomes the subject of romantic interest from both a classmate and her strict teacher, ultimately opting for the latter. At the end all three girls pass their exams with full marks.
Writing for The Spectator in 1936, Graham Greene described the film as entertaining and praised the film's charmingly realistic characterization of both German school masters and their pupils. Greene highlighted the "light lyrical treatment of some of the scenes", adding that while "unsentimental, [the film is] not unkindly [in its depiction] of emotional awkwardness."[3]