Cinematography:
Georg MuschnerCast:
Victor Varconi, Ferdinand Hart, La Jana, Adam Brodzisz, Harry Hardt, Olga Limburg, Louis TreumannPlots(1)
Warsaw at the beginning of the 20th century: Boris, a student sentenced for revolutionary activities, is unexpectedly released. The secret service expects that he can provide them with important insights and appoints an agent to him. Meanwhile his fellow student Sonja, the niece of a Russian commander, is forced to fight against her arranged marriage to the power-hungry officer Strelkoff. In Fleck’s adaptation of a play by Polish author Gabriela Zapolska, the political conflict remains the backdrop. The main focus is on the protagonists, whose interaction is staged in an interplay of control and loss of control of their own bodies. The elegance of the cinematic narrative results from unusual stylistic elements. These include illumination of the figures, which is based on contemporary Hollywood lighting techniques, and crossfades, which were partly produced by rewinding and double exposure of the film in the camera, and thus don’t show the loss of image quality. (Viennale)
(more)Cast
Victor Varconi
Austria-Hungary
Best movies:
The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939)
The Sea Hawk (1940)
Reap the Wild Wind (1942)
Ferdinand Hart
Austria-Hungary
Best movies:
Long Live with Dearly Departed (1935)
Life Is a Dog (1933)
Heave Ho! (1934)
La Jana
Austria-Hungary
Best movies:
The Stars Shine (1938)
Adam Brodzisz
Austria-Hungary
Harry Hardt
Austria-Hungary
Best movies:
Barcarole (1935)
Der falsche Feldmarschall (1930)
Es geschah am 20. Juli (1955)
Olga Limburg
German Empire
Louis Treumann
Austria-Hungary