Magnus Stifter Movies

This version of the notorious Russian monk/charlatan's life, presents Rasputin, not as an evil manipulator of the czar's family, but as more of a victim. The story begins in a tiny village where he miraculously healed peasants. He is then taken to court to treat the czarina's hemophiliac son, but because Rasputin was a wild drunk and womanizer, he is sent back to his home. When war breaks out, he goes back to St. Petersburg to con the czar into taking over the high command. En route, Rasputin meets a duke and the soldier whose fiancee with whom he had once dallied. In the end, they lure him to a palace and shoot him. The script has an added touch of historical accuracy in that an actual acquaintance of Rasputin, Ossip Dymow, assisted with the script. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Outside of Emperor Franz Joseph, there was no member of the Hapsburg dynasty who showed up in films as often as Empress Elizabeth of Austria. Lil Dagover plays the celebrated empress in this film, which deftly combines fact and fiction into one lavish movie package. Though wed to Franz Joseph (Paul Otto) and expected to comport herself in a regal manner, Elizabeth is too much the free spirit to tie herself down to protocol. Escaping the stuffiness of the Austro-Hungarian royal court, she chooses to live a carefree existence among the people. Elizabeth returns to the palace a shade too late to save her unhappy son Crown Prince Rudolf from committing suicide out of love for the beautiful Countess Mary Vetsera (this subplot later served as the basis for the 1937 film Mayerling). Again fleeing her responsibilities Elizabeth wanders aimlessly around the world until her own life is ended by an assassin's bullet. Amazingly, Elisabeth von Oesterreich manages to pack all this into a brisk 74 minutes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Napoleon auf St. Helena was the next-to-last film of director Lupu-Pick, who died by his own hand in 1931. Werner Krauss is a physically inappropriate choice for the role of Napoleon, though he plays the part with his usual consummate skill. This study of Napoleon's last days in exile doesn't offer much in the way of action, but is more interesting as a "chamber piece." Especially well handled is the curious relationship between the Little Corporal and his "host," the British governor of St. Helena (played by Albert Basserman). The screenplay was by Abel Gance, whose own 1927 filmization of the life of Napoleon remains one of the unchallenged masterpieces of the silent cinema. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When this German-produced film reached the U.S., it was touted as the first Pola Negri film that wasn't a costume drama. In spite of this, Negri plays the same type of passionate character she did in her period films (something she was very good at, too). A longer version of it was released in Europe; it was cut down to five reels for stateside consumption. Negri is Marianna Paoli, a hot-blooded Corsican girl who swears vengeance when her brother, Antonio (Fred Immler), is killed in a duel with an officer from an English battleship. While working as a nurse she falls in love with Edwin Alcott, a British officer who has come down with a fever (Harry Liedtke). Only after they marry does Marianna discover that he was the one responsible for her brother's death. Antonio's servant, Tomasso (Emil Jannings), stabs Marianna's manipulative guardian, Count Musso Danella (Magnus Stifter), while she finds that love overcomes the need for revenge. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide