"Young Torless" could have been a much more dramatic film. It's based on a book I haven't read and I'm told much of the events described in the book are either omitted altogether or simply glossed over. Perhaps the film was heavily censored. I did get that feeling. The setting was a boarding school for boys with constant bullying of the weaker individuals and there was a passing reference to some homosexual encounters If the students had little previous experience as actors it was a credit to the director to reach the standard that was attained, but on the whole the acting was rather bland and lacked dramatic impact. In the scene where the boy is strung up by his feet, he should have been stripped naked hanging like a carcass at the abattoirs. Just imagine how much more demeaning and humiliating this would have been and would have given the school authorities more reason to take strong action against the perpetrators. In the film Torless who is pretty much inactive most of the time as a cold detached observer of the bullying going on around him bursts out with a speech about the fine line between good and evil while the school authorities sit and listen in quiet contemplation. The mathematics tutor was of little help to anyone including Torless.
The black and white photography added the right touch to the mood of the film but the script was far too bland. Even the scene with the prostitute was a bit of a let down and did not raise much excitement with the school boys.
The black and white photography added the right touch to the mood of the film but the script was far too bland. Even the scene with the prostitute was a bit of a let down and did not raise much excitement with the school boys.