The stunningly spectacular and dynamic film was Lya de Putti’s biggest hit in which she plays a devastating vamp enticing men to the brink of madness – in the wake of this great performance she was invited to work on movies abroad, although she became typecast in the role and her career opportunities severely narrowed. The work pulling back the curtain on the curious world of artistes, variety and circus performers, with acrobatic sequences shot in Berlin’s Wintergarten, became a grandiose, heart-stopping tableau of jealously thanks to the cinematography of Karl Freund. The grotesque, monotone soundtrack (2015) reminiscent of the variety genre and unusual for silent motion pictures, written by The Tiger Lillies for the film, has received mixed reviews. Like it or not, one thing is guaranteed: we are in for an unforgettable cinema experience.
Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung










