FEEL IT.STREAM
?

Hans Székely

Writing

Known For

The Wonderful Lies of Nina Petrovna
7.1

This silent-screen classic, like many others produced near the end of the silent era, was both a theatrical extravaganza boasting an original orchestral score and an item which languished in obscurity for many years. When Carlo Piccardi took what was left of the score by Maurice Jaubert and re-created it, the existing footage was restored and paired with a new orchestral performance which was shown in Paris in 1988. The film's story concerns the travails of a woman who has been living quite comfortably as the mistress of a colonel in the Tsar's army in Russia. However, she eventually encounters a penniless young lieutenant and falls madly in love with him, as he does with her. Despite her best intentions of remaining with the colonel, and his intention to avoid trouble with his fellow soldiers, they cannot forswear this relationship, and tragedy is the inevitable result. The title refers to a moving incident in the story, and translates as "the wonderful lie of Nina Petrovna."

The Wonderful Lies of Nina Petrovna

1929Movie
Souls Aflame
8.0

In a Swiss winter resort, Lydia Boysen, who has just divorced from her husband, meets the young ski instructor Dagfin Holberg. It doesn't take long before they both fall in love with each other. One day her ex-husband Axel shows up, not long after he had tried to set Lydia up with the much older, rich Turkish man Sabi Bey. A little later, Alex Boysen is found lying dead in the snow. Dagfin and Lydia suspect each other of killing Boysen. To protect Lydia, Dagfin takes all the blame. Not entirely unselfish, he receives full support in his actions from Sabi Bey, who also promises to help Dagfin escape. The Turkish general hopes to get closer to his goal in this way and finally win Lydia over. Lydia, in turn, is ready to sacrifice herself for Dagfin. In order to be sure of Sabi Bey's support for the fugitive Dagfin, she follows the Muslim despot, who was once responsible for a massacre of Armenians and only narrowly escaped an assassination attempt, to his castle in southern Germany.

Souls Aflame

1926Movie