The White Ribbon & The Repressed Youth Culture

This is Jamie Ferri.   The White Ribbon is an independent film about the German culture prior to World War I.  The narrator is the village schoolteacher and he recounts a story of repression and conservatism in a German, Protestant village during the early 1900s.  The characters include the baron, the steward, the pastor, the doctor, the midwife, the tenant farmers and each of their families.  I was only able to view the beginning scenes of the film so my conclusions are brief yet thoughtful.  Without delving too deeply into the storyline, there are some basic observations that I took note of as I watched.

I found it particularly interesting that there was not any music to accompany the opening credits.  This definitely gave the impression of the tone the film would have.  The lack of music along with the black and gray shades of print and background tell the audience this will be a very serious and quiet presentation. A trend that seems to be reoccurring is whenever something sad or dismal is occurring or being talked about, there is barely any light on the black and white screen.  It is almost completely black when there is talk of death or beatings. 

One of the first dark, dramatic scenes shows the family of the village priest gathered around the dinner table.  Unlike most movie dinners, each member of the family is sitting solemnly with his or her head down in shame.  The father scolds all the children for an unkno wn behavior and sends them all to bed without eating their meal. I wondered if maybe all of the children had run away together because the father says their mother was in tears worrying the night before.  While I am not positively sure which character is which, I assumed the two eldest children are the ones he seems to focus on once the rest of the family leaves the room.  The priest especially looks at them with anger and disgust and warns them of the beatings they would soon endure.  This is the same scene where the explanation of the film title, The White Ribbon, is briefly explained.  (I have always enjoyed the moment where you get to find out the meaning of the title because that anxious feeling dissipates when you become more aware of what the movie will be about.  It’s the moment you start to get more involved in the film because it leaves you ready to learn more.  I giggle to myself when the line that incorporates the title is painfully cheesy.  In this case, it was tastefully done.)  The actual “white ribbon” had been used to tie around the children when they were younger to remind them of their purity and innocence.  The children who were scolded are ordered to wear it once again.  The audience is unfortunately reminded that these children will endure painful punishments. 

While The White Ribbon is obviously a story that will be somewhat upsetting, I am very excited to see what the rest of the film has to offer. Very early in the film, there is already an accident, which adds a bit of mystery to the plot.  More drama is added when a few more unexplained incidents occur and it really hooks the viewer in for more.