简介：DiefreudloseGasse,directedGeorgWilhelmPabstfromascriptbyWillyHaas,basedonanovelbyHugoBettauer,isnotonlyoneofthemostimportantfilmsoftheWeimarRepublic,itisalsooneofthemostspectacularcensorshipcasesoftheera.Whilethefilmmadeitsdirectorfamous,thestateinstitutionsofcontrolguaranteedthatnoonewouldever...　　DiefreudloseGasse,directedGeorgWilhelmPabstfromascriptbyWillyHaas,basedonanovelbyHugoBettauer,isnotonlyoneofthemostimportantfilmsoftheWeimarRepublic,itisalsooneofthemostspectacularcensorshipcasesoftheera.Whilethefilmmadeitsdirectorfamous,thestateinstitutionsofcontrolguaranteedthatnoonewouldeverseethefilminitsoriginalform.Thefilmwasconsideredtoomuchofaprovocation.ItsstoryfromtheinflationaryperiodinViennaintheyearsimmediatelyafterWorldWarIofferedenoughdynamiteforseveralmuckrakingnovels:nouveaurichescurrencyandstockmarketspeculatorswhowallowinBabylonianluxury,homelessandunemployedLumpenproletariatlivinginbarns,womenwhoselltheirsoulsforabitoffreshmeatatthebutcher's,arrogantbutimpoverishedformerbureaucratsunawareoftheirsocialslide,youngsocialclimberswillingtoprostitutethemselveswithhighsocietywomen,sexualorgiesandbordellos,murderoutofjealousy,murderoutofdespair,and,finally,arevolutioninthestreets.　　Contemporaryfilmcritics,aswellasfilmhistorianshavealwaysrecognizedTheJoylessStreetasaseminalfilm,afilmontheborderbetweenGermanExpressionismandNeueSachlichkeit.Twoquotesfromcontemporaryreviewsmayillustratethepoint:theBerlinerTageblattwrote:"Intermsofitsacting,thisisabeautifulfilmwithgreatdirectionandwonderfulactors."Infact,thefilmstarredAstaNielsen,WernerKraus,HerthavonWalter,andayoungGretaGarbowhowouldgoontoastellarcareerinHollywood.IntheDeutscheAllgemeineZeitung,OttoFriedrichwrote:"Heachieveshisgoalingreatstyle,doesnottreadonwell-wornpaths,presentsnewideaswhichareuniquelyhisown,andwiththisachievementgivesusanewhope.Hecapturestheatmosphereofanidea,keepsredrawingitonthesurfaceinevermoreintensiveimages,incontrastsofactionthatmakeaneverstrongerimpression.Heillustratesthedown-troddensoulsoftheeraandthemaniclustforpleasureofitspeoplewhoaretryingtodonothingmorethanescapeforafewminutesfromtheterribletruthofthepresent."　　Notonlywasthefilmcutforpoliticalandmoralreasonsineverycountrywhereitwaspubliclyshown,itwasalsoreeditedinordertoclosethehugegapscreatedbycensorshipcuts.Thus,inalmosteverycountrytotallydifferentnarrativesofTheJoylessStreetemerged.AccordingtoMarkSorkin,Pabst'seditor,heandPabsthadmadethefirstcutsthenightbeforethepremiere,becausethetheatreownerinsistedthefilmbeshortened.

WhilethefirstversionofTheJoylessStreetstillhadalengthof3738meters,thefilmwasbackincourton29March1926,becausethepolicehadissuedadecreecallingforatotalbanonthefilm,duetoits"lewd"and"seditious"tendencies.Nowonly3477metersremainedofthefilm.Noneofthelatersurvivingversionsevercameclosetothislength.NeitheraGermanversion,northeoriginalGermancensorshipcardsareknowntoexist.　　EveryonewhohasseenthenewreconstructionofTheJoylessStreetagreesthatitisavastimprovementoverallpreviouslyexistingversions.Yetitremainsonlyasubjectiveattemptatareconstruction.Whileitistruethatthereconstructionteamtriedtobaseeveryoneofitdecisionsondocumentaryevidence,itmustalsobeadmittedthatwithoutasurvivingoriginalGermanversion,wewillneverknowwhatthefilmreallylookedlike.Giventheincrediblecomplexityofthenarrative,involvingatleastsixdifferentsubplots,andthefactthatthefilmisstillmissingatleast700meters,thisversionmustbecharacterizedasatattemptatareconstruction.　　Jan-ChristopherHorak…