Hotel Imperial (1927)

During World War I, an Austrian officer is trapped behind the Russian lines. He tries to sneak through to his own lines, but is forced to take refuge in a small hotel, where he is hidden by... See full summary »

Director:

Mauritz Stiller

Writers:

Lajos Biró (story), Jules Furthman (screenplay),

Stars:

Pola Negri, James Hall, George Siegmann

Cast

Cast overview:
Pola Negri	...	Anna Sedlak
James Hall	...	Lt. Paul Almasy
George Siegmann	...	Gen. Juschkiewitsch
Max Davidson	...	Elias Butterman
Michael Vavitch	...	Tabakowitsch
Otto Fries	...	Anton Klinak
Nicholas Soussanin	...	Baron Fredrikson
Golden Wadhams	...	Maj. Gen. Sultanov

Storyline

During World War I, an Austrian officer is trapped behind the Russian lines. He tries to sneak through to his own lines, but is forced to take refuge in a small hotel, where he is hidden by the establishment's chambermaid. The two fall in love, but a Russian general makes the hotel his headquarters and sets his sights on the maid. In addition, the Austrian must find out the identity of a spy who is feeding the Russians military information that could lead to the destruction of the Austrian army.

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Plot Keywords:

love | world war one

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Details

Country:

USA

Release Date:

1 January 1927 (USA)

Also Known As:

Aftokratorikon xenodoheion

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min 85 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Version of Five Graves to Cairo (1943)

User Reviews

One of five film versions of this story- Negri superb

This property has been filmed five times, four under its own title and one under another. This is a good version, very tightly directed by Stiller with a stellar Negri performance (pairing this with her BARBED WIRE would make a stunning double feature). She looks remarkably like actress Karen Allen. Her talent is amazing- she is the subtlest of actresses and deals in nuances rather than gesture. She builds this role carefully by increments and walks away with the film. The rest of the cast is serviceable. The cinematography and editing were worthy of award consideration in addition to the direction and her performance. Grapevine Video has a quite good print (for them) available on video. Negri is never what one expects but she is always a revelation.