Hotel Imperial (1927)

Director:

Mauritz Stiller

Writers:

Lajos Biró (story)
Jules Furthman (writer)

Release Date:

1 January 1927 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | War

Plot:

During World War I, an Austrian officer is trapped behind the Russian lines. He tries to sneak through to his own lines...

Plot Keywords:

Love | WWI

Cast

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

Runtime:

Sweden:85 min (22 fps) | USA:85 min

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Movie Connections:

Version of Five Graves to Cairo (1943)

Another forgotten gem from the last days of the silent era

I was fortunate enough to see a great print of this film at a recent public screening at the Museum of Modern Art, with a large and enthusiastic audience and live music. When it was over people were buzzing over the experience, and I couldn't help but wonder: why isn't Mauritz Stiller's "Hotel Imperial" better known? It's a stylistic triumph that should be remembered and celebrated for first-rate direction, cinematography and sets. True, there are a couple of unlikely plot twists along the way and an ending that's a little more schmaltzy than one might have preferred, but over all this film's virtues far outweigh its flaws. And notably, it features an excellent performance by Pola Negri, an actress better remembered for her off-screen eccentricities and diva-like behavior than for any of her movies. Here she proves she could give a nuanced, convincing performance as a chambermaid who shows real valor in wartime.

Viewers familiar with Billy Wilder's 1943 drama "Five Graves to Cairo" will note that Stiller's film provided Wilder's source material. The original story is set in an Austrian village during the early days of the First World War. A wounded Austrian lieutenant named Almasy stumbles into a nearly deserted hotel, where Anna the chambermaid (Negri) chooses to give him refuge despite the danger to herself. At her behest he disguises himself as the hotel's waiter and stays on when Russian troops take over the town and commandeer the hotel. Because of his close proximity to the enemy the lieutenant is able to interfere with the Russians' plans-- with Anna's help --and alter the course of the battle.

What happens in this film isn't as important as how it is presented. Here, atmosphere is more important than plot. Like all the best silent films this one utilizes very few title cards; remarkably, there are none at all for the first ten minutes or so. The camera smoothly tracks a group of exhausted soldiers on horseback as they make their way across the smoking wasteland. No one speaks; there's nothing to be said. Stiller conveys a great deal with evocative imagery, sharp editing, and the understated performances of his players. You won't find any over-the-top emoting here. Once the lieutenant has assumed his false identity the suspense builds and our empathy with the central couple deepens. The leading lady is especially impressive in a sequence where she must pretend to give in to the lecherous advances of a Russian general in order to buy time for the lieutenant, whom she loves; her forced gaiety and the dead look in her eyes perfectly express her feelings. Leading man James Hall is forgotten today-- sadly, his career was blighted by acute alcoholism --but he is memorable as Lieutenant Almasy and pairs well with Negri. We care about this couple, fear for them, and root for them.

I'd say this movie deserves to be ranked with the top dramas of the late silent era, perhaps in the second tier just under "The Docks of New York" and "The Man Who Laughs." It certainly deserves to be as well remembered as such war dramas as "Wings" and "Seventh Heaven." There's little else to add except that silent film buffs should seek it out, and see it with an audience if at all possible.