The Song of Songs (1933 film)
| The Song of Songs | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Rouben Mamoulian |
| Screenplay by | |
| Based on | from the novel by Hermann Sudermann and the play by Edward Sheldon |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Victor Milner |
| Music by |
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| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Song of Songs is a 1933 American pre-Code romantic drama film directed by Rouben Mamoulian and starring Marlene Dietrich. This Paramount picture is based on the Hermann Sudermann novel Das Hohe Lied (1908) and the play The Song of Songs (1914) by Edward Sheldon.
Song of Songs is a ‘“romantic fable” with “tragic elements” in which an innocent peasant girl is transformed, step-by-step through the vicissitudes of love, into a disillusioned cynic. Most telling in this case is the use in German of the entire phrase to describe the "great song of love" or "ode to love" in Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians. This creates a double layer of meaning to the title of the novel in German, one that could not be duplicated in an English rendition.
The 1914 play, The Song of Songs by Edward Sheldon, also contributed to this version. It is a remake of the 1918 silent film The Song of Songs starring Elsie Ferguson and the 1924 silent film Lily of the Dust with Pola Negri.