Critiques (1)
The direction of Pola Negri's career from Poland through Germany to Hollywood and back to Europe is an important precedent that, whether consciously or not, entire succeeding generations have tried to emulate. At least until the end of the 1930s we could follow the similar path of Sweden's Garbo, Germany's Dietrich and Austria's Kiesler, who imitated Pola and, like her, forged a piece of Hollywood success for themselves. In 1918, Pola was only at the beginning of her German journey to the heights and it was delicious to watch her tell the story of Mania, a cigarette factory worker. Of course, it was only by chance that this Mania was not only a good manufacturer, but also a talented dancer and, in an emergency, an excellent mistress... These coincidences are the cornerstone of cinema and we like it that way. Paul Leni's production design was just the icing on the cake of this passionate melodrama with a great dramatic arc and sumptuous costumes. I’m also leaving aside the fact that this German film was restored in Poland.
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