1921-1930 Classics Ewald André Dupont Germany Silent

Ewald André Dupont – Varieté (1925)

adminJanuary 29, 2019

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Storyline:
Prologue: The murderer “Boss” Huller – after having spent ten years in prison – breaks his silence to tell the warden his story. “Boss”, a former trapeze artist, and his wife own a cheap side-show that displays ”erotic sensations”. But he longs for his former glamorous life in the circus. When he meets the orphan Berta-Marie, he falls under her spell and leaves his wife and young son behind. He makes Berta-Marie his partner in a new trapeze number. One day, the famous trapeze artist Artinelli takes note of them and engages them for his trapeze show in Berlin. Their salto mortale becomes an immediate sensation. Calculatedly and cold, Artinelli seduces Berta-Marie and destroys “Boss'” happiness. Written by Christian Taube

Critic:
Emil Jannings, who is best remembered for his acting in “The Last Laugh” and “Passion”, fills the principal role. He is theatric at times, but his performance is a masterly one. He is not alone in this feature, and it may be a matter of opinion as to whether Lya de Putti and Warwick Ward, an English actor, are not even better than Mr. Jannings in their portrayals. Certainly Jannings has the least conventional role and more to tell by his expressions. However, Miss de Putti and Mr. Ward give an extraordinarily brilliant account of themselves and they rise to the occasion in episodes that are by no means easy to handle.

This is a production which not only shows the way in which a story should be unfurled, but impresses one with the magic of the camera in picturing effects, such as the torrent of thoughts rushing through a maddened mind, and the views of the audience from the eyes of a hurtling trapeze performer.
– Mordaunt Hall, The New York Times, June 28, 1926