Girls’ Dormitory

Girls’ Dormitory

Year: 1936

Runtime: 66 mins

Language: English

Director: Irving Cummings

RomanceDrama

Simone Simon makes her screen debut as a meddlesome teacher at a girls’ finishing school. When she discovers a love letter written by a student to an unknown man, a minor scandal breaks out, exposing the school’s strict norms and stirring intrigue among the pupils and staff.

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Timeline & Setting – Girls’ Dormitory (1936)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Girls’ Dormitory (1936). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Montreaux School for Girls, Switzerland, Remote mountain hut, Nightclub

The setting centers on the fictional Montreaux School for Girls in Switzerland, a strict boarding environment where students navigate social rules and authority figures. Social events like a state fair and a tense investigation into a love letter illuminate the school’s oppressive atmosphere. Key locations include a remote mountain hut where confidences are shared and a nightclub where a celebratory moment punctuates the plot.

🏫 Boarding school 💘 Forbidden romance 🛡️ Authority and rules

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 19:24

Main Characters – Girls’ Dormitory (1936)

Meet the key characters of Girls’ Dormitory (1936), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Marie Claudel (portrayed by Simone Simon)

A 19-year-old French student at the Montreaux School for Girls who harbors a crush on the popular director. Her emotional vulnerability clashes with the school's strict rules, placing her at the center of the drama. She demonstrates resilience as she navigates love, fear of punishment, and the urge to protect her feelings.

💖 Teen romance 🎭 Youth drama

Dr. Stephen Dominick (Dr. Stephen Dominik, portrayed by Herbert Marshall)

The school’s popular director who inspires admiration while wrestling with the boundaries between professional duty and personal affection. He responds with warmth to Marie’s feelings and ultimately proposes marriage, complicating the dynamics with Anna Mathe. His decisions drive the romance and ethical tension throughout the story.

💼 Authority 💘 Romance

Professor Augusta Wimmer

A strict, unlikable faculty member who enforces rigid rules and scrutinizes student conduct. She epitomizes the punitive side of school discipline and fuels Marie’s fear of punishment. Her presence intensifies the conflict between personal desire and institutional control.

🧭 Authority 🗝️ Discipline

Professor Anna Mathe

A supportive teacher who secretly admires Dr. Dominick and becomes entangled in the love triangle. She struggles between professional responsibility and personal affection, ultimately revealing her own heartbreak. Her actions influence Marie’s choices and the story’s emotional arc.

🤝 Mentorship 💔 Unrequited love

Count Vallais

Marie’s cousin who appears at a nightclub celebration, illustrating the social circles surrounding the school. His presence adds a layer of aristocratic expectation to the narrative. He represents family ties and societal pressures outside the school’s walls.

👑 Aristocracy 🥂 Celebration

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 19:24

Major Themes – Girls’ Dormitory (1936)

Explore the central themes of Girls’ Dormitory (1936), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

💘 Forbidden Romance

Marie’s crush on Dr. Dominick challenges the school’s dating prohibitions and tests the boundaries between student life and adult affection. The romance drives secret meetings, emotional confrontations, and a pivotal confession that reshapes their futures. The tension between desire and duty lies at the heart of the narrative.

👁️ Authority and Rules

A strict faculty, especially Professor Augusta Wimmer, polices conduct and imposes penalties for perceived missteps. The discovery of a letter triggers a punitive inquiry, highlighting the claustrophobic, rule-driven climate of the school. The conflict pits rigid discipline against personal autonomy.

🌱 Self-Discovery

Marie’s journey mirrors a coming-of-age arc as she tests boundaries and seeks love within a restrictive system. The mountain hut meeting with Dominick marks a turning point toward independence and personal choice. The resolution suggests growth born from risk and emotional honesty.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 19:24

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Scandalous Love Stories like Girls’ Dormitory

Stories where a secret confession threatens reputations and breaks social rules.Explore movies like Girls’ Dormitory where a secret love letter or confession sparks a scandal. If you enjoyed the tension between societal norms and forbidden affection, you'll find similar romantic dramas with high stakes for reputation and heart.

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Narrative Summary

These stories typically begin with the discovery of a secret—a letter, a diary entry, or a clandestine meeting—that threatens to expose a forbidden attraction. The plot unfolds as characters navigate the fallout, facing judgment and moral dilemmas, often leading to a public reckoning and a bittersweet resolution for the lovers involved.

Why These Movies?

Movies are grouped here for their shared focus on a scandal as the central plot device, driven by romantic yearning and the intense pressure of social conformity. They create a specific, tense mood where the emotional stakes are high but deeply personal.

Melancholic Dramas with a Bittersweet Feel like Girls’ Dormitory

Emotional stories of longing and sacrifice within restrictive, intimate settings.Find movies similar to Girls’ Dormitory that capture a bittersweet, melancholic mood within a confined setting. If you liked the film's steady pace, medium emotional weight, and themes of unrequited love and sacrifice, this thread is for you.

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Narrative Summary

Narratives in this thread often follow a linear path, exploring the emotional landscape of characters trapped by their circumstances. The central conflict is internal and interpersonal, focusing on yearning, unspoken feelings, and the personal cost of adhering to or breaking from convention, resulting in an ending that is hopeful yet tinged with sadness.

Why These Movies?

These films are united by a specific, cohesive vibe: a steady, deliberate pace, a medium level of emotional intensity, and a consistently bittersweet tone. They share a melancholic atmosphere born from characters navigating love and duty in a small, watchful world.

Unlock the Full Story of Girls’ Dormitory

Don't stop at just watching — explore Girls’ Dormitory in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Girls’ Dormitory is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Girls’ Dormitory Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Girls’ Dormitory, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Girls’ Dormitory Summary

Girls’ Dormitory Timeline

Track the full timeline of Girls’ Dormitory with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Girls’ Dormitory Timeline

Girls’ Dormitory Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of Girls’ Dormitory that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

Girls’ Dormitory Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Girls’ Dormitory

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Girls’ Dormitory: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

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