Maedchen in Uniform (1931)

Thanks to youtube user youhoofilm, this German classic is all on youtube with very clear subtitles!

Is this film truly one of the first lesbian narratives? My mind was briefly swayed - both Kracauer and a friend of mine see only the Prussian authoritative side of the film rather than sexual chemistry - but I conclude that it is about lesbian love. We can certainly queer texts with our modern lenses, but there is evidence that points to its queerness being intentional, especially with the changes in the 1958 remake.

This scene, starting at about six minutes into part three, seems about as blatantly sexual as one can get in 1931. [Note: 1958 scene differs!] Manuela is the only girl who gets a kiss on the lips! Furthermore, some of the language in the dialogue could be further examined. The quotes page on IMDB has a couple key points to both authority and lesbian love.

I believe this must be the original poster for the film:

And lastly here's a link to quite an in-depth post about the film.