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Liebelei

Director: Max Ophüls
Year: 1933
Run-time: 1 hr 36 min
Source: Youtube

Notable for: Ophüls is a German director who is better known for the films he made in the 50's, near the end of his career.  Liebelei, which translates to "fling", is about a casual romance that quickly develops into something serious before ending in tragedy.  It's set in the Imperial Era of Germany, but seems to me to speak more presciently about the Weimar era that it was filmed in.  The loosening of social mores that frequently characterizes that period feels true to the natural way that romance blossoms in Liebelei - as such, the story feels relatable from a modern perspective, even though we live in a very different time still.

Verdict: This is an obscure classic that I wouldn't mind revisiting in the future.  It took some searching on Youtube to find a good version with English subtitles, but I'm very glad I did - this is a bit of a tearjerker, but the depiction of love felt real to me, and I couldn't help but choke up at the end.
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