Variety

Former trapeze artist “Boss” Huller leaves his wife and child to go to Berlin with the younger, seductive Berta-Marie. They become the lead attraction at Berlin’s famed Wintergarten, where they perform as a trio with trapezist Artinelli. That is, until Huller realizes that Berta-Marie is cheating on him with their fellow acrobat…

As a journalist for Germany’s first tabloid newspaper, the “BZ”, Dupont introduced the “variety shows and film” column in 1915 and his film is a celebration of the best of both. He steers the blatant curiosity that dancer Berta-Marie provokes towards artificiality. In Vaudeville, Karl Freund’s “unleashed” camera also executes daring feats of flying acrobatics.

The digital restoration was undertaken in 2014/2015 by the Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Foundation, in cooperation with Filmarchiv Austria in Vienna by using nitrate prints from both the US Library of Congress and the Filmarchiv Austria.

Germany
95'
1925


Script
Ewald Andre Dupont

Cinematography
Karl Freund

Production
Erich Pommer

Cast
Alice Hechy
Charles Lincoln
Der Jongleur Rastelli
The Three Codonas
Emil Jannings
Georg John
Kurt Gerron
Lya de Putti
Small Delschaft
Paul Rehkopf
Warwick Ward

Music
Erno Rapee

Festivals
21st Festival on Wheels
5. Special Screening