Frau Helene Netzler ( Frau Asta Nielsen ) is the owner of the copper mine "Glückauf", a mine that is nearly depleted and this threatens her financial situation. Fortunately the director of the copper mine, Herr Lindholm ( Herr Aruth Wartan ) has good news for Frau Helene: he has found a new copper vein that promises great supply. With this in mind, Frau Helene orders that all the shares of the copper mine, that for many days inflated the stock market, be bought up. At the same time, as a token of her gratitude, Frau Helene promotes Herr Lindholm to partner of the copper mine. Frau Helene's new partner is interested in Frau Lina, Frau Helene's cousin, a poor girl who lives at the mansion as a lady companion. To complicate matters, Frau Helene is also in love with Herr Lindholm.
Die Börsenkönigin" ( The Queen Of The Stock-Exchange ), directed by the unknown Herr Edmund Edel in the silent year of 1918, is a very suitable oeuvre for these days in which the world stock market and global financial crisis are much in the news. Speculators, brokers, greedy share-holders and other strange specimens did their work in the silent days as well, making a good living for themselves but leaving the commoners behind.
Our heroine, Frau Helene Netzler knows that in order to maintain her life of luxury she must keep the level of production of her cooper mine very high. The new vein gives her the opportunity to speculate in the stock-market and increase her wealth; that's the way the bourgeoisie make a lot of money. Of course these games are only possible thanks to the efforts, sweat and hard work of their employees. This makes for some interesting social and historical themes in the film and they are brought out in an almost documentary way given that real copper mine workers appear as extras in some of the scenes ( it is not necessary to say that they didn't receive extra wages for their extra work ) . These poor men and women worked hard in terrible and unsafe conditions in contrast to the luxury and comfort enjoyed by their masters who live in wonderful mansions surrounded by magnificent gardens and having at their command businessmen in tuxedos and top hats, reflecting in this way the contradictions of a Germany defeated in the Great War.
As the Teutonic saying goes, "Don't mix pleasure with business", and Frau Helene unwisely ignores this wisdom and shares her heart as well as her mine with Herr Lindholm. It will take a divine intervention to set things right and cause Frau Helene to recover her cold and Germanic senses ( essential for a Teutonic businesswoman). Frau Asta Nielsen plays properly her character in a film where business is business and the matters of the heart are simple accidents that can be put aside and forgotten easily if luxury and power are at stake. Of course in this modernen world the upper classes will likewise never be at risk as long is there are financial subterfuges and the working classes to foot the bills.
And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must convince his rich heiresses that Herr Graff is a good investment.
Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien http://ferdinandvongalitzien.blogspot.com
