The beggar countess
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | The beggar countess |
| Country of production | Germany |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1918 |
| length | approx. 74 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director |
Joe May Bruno Ziener |
| script | Joe May Ruth Goetz |
| production | Joe May |
| camera | Max Lutze |
| occupation | |
| |
The Beggar Countess is a German silent film melodrama from 1918 with Mia May in the title role.
action
Count Dulters has been cut by his relatives and shunned by high society since he entered a marital mesalliance. During a trip, the impoverished nobleman dies suddenly, his daughter Ulla is left alone. The young woman tries to build a new life for herself. But it is also met with rejection. For example, when she asked farmers for work, the beggar countess was rejected. Only a kind pastor gives her shelter and lets her lease a property belonging to the parish, which Ulla will soon manage upwards. Ulla's cousin Henryk will be of great help to her during this time, and deeply felt love ultimately grows out of sympathy. But Henryk is married, which Ulla learns only late. She makes it clear to him that she does not want to deal with him in an adulterous way, and so Henryk has to decide whether he wants to seek a divorce from his separated wife Stella or not. Torn between two women, the weak man seeks distraction and diversion in the hustle and bustle of the big city.
While attending a circus performance, a fire breaks out, but Henryk narrowly escapes. Then an idea occurs to him: He puts his ring on a dead man in order to be considered dead himself. Henrik installed Ulla as the universal heir of his fortune, while Stella, who has been going her own way for years, has to be content with a pension. Stella's new life partner, a childhood friend who always behaved badly, is quite a monster of a man. Henryk is alarmed when a newspaper reports that Countess Stellas will get married again. He decides to rise from the dead in order to a) spare his ex from this new husband and b) save them from the crime of bigamy. Things develop dramatically and Stella is killed. Since Henryk as a living person is actually still the owner of the family mansion derer van Deuwen inherited from Ulla, the humble ex-beggar countess wants to leave the same place immediately to return to her more modest, old home. To her greatest surprise, however, Henryk is already waiting for her there. Hungry for love, both rush each other, and a kiss seals their future together.
Production notes
The beggar countess was created in the final phase of the First World War and passed film censorship immediately afterwards, on November 29, 1918. The film was banned from young people and was shown for the first time on the same day in the Kurfürstendamm premiere theater. The length was 1,533 meters, divided into four acts.
criticism
“A magnificent piece of life lies ahead of us. Mia May surpasses herself again in her delightful manner. (...) She can give soul where others only act, she can be gorgeous and lovely, like rarely one. The material is taken from real life and processed at a fresh pace. Ideally beautiful pictures surround the milieu, giving the whole scene construction reality and life. The direction is masterly, the photography is very clear. "