Die Wunderbare Lüge der Nina Petrowna (1929) - film review

Nina, the beautiful wife of the wealthy Colonel Beranoff, is surrounded by luxury in her St Petersburg apartments, but the one thing she lacks is love.  At a restaurant a dashing young soldier, Michael Rostof, catches her eye.  To excuse herself, she tells her husband that the soldier was a childhood friend, but, aware of Nina’s tendency to lie, the Colonel calls her bluff and invites the soldier to their table.  One night, whilst the Colonel is away, Rostof visits Nina, but, despite his obvious attraction to her, he chivalrously resists her attempts to seduce him.  The next day, the Colonel discovers the soldier and Nina having breakfast together and sends the soldier away with a mild threat.  Nina however is too far in love to forget Rostof.  She abandons her husband and moves into poor lodgings, hoping to start a new life with Rostof.  When he learns what has become of Nina, the young lieutenant willingly returns her love.  However, the Colonel is determined to do anything to win back his wife…

A fine example of late 1920s German cinema, Die Wunderbare Lüge der Nina Petrowna is a masterfully crafted melodrama which is accessible, beautifully filmed and immensely poignant.  The film’s impact derives mainly from a stunning performance from its star, Brigitte Helm, who was nothing less than an icon of German silent cinema (perhaps best known for her appearance in Fritz’s Lang’s legendary Metropolis ).

Largely overlooked until its restoration more than 70 years after its initial release, this is a film which richly deserves to be more widely known.  It should be considered a classic of the silent era not only because it is a pleasing film in its own right, but because it illustrates how sophisticated and eloquent silent cinema became before its abrupt usurpation by sound cinema.

© James Travers 2003

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