7.6/10
759
10 user 18 critic

Variety (1925)

Varieté (original title)
Passed | | Crime, Drama, Romance | 31 January 1926 (Finland)
Variety Poster
Trailer
1:00 | Trailer
Prologue: The murderer "Boss" Huller - after having spent ten years in prison - breaks his silence to tell the warden his story. "Boss", a former trapeze artist, and his wife own a cheap ... See full summary »

Director:

Writers:

(novel), (scenario)

Stars:

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Reviews
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
... Boss Huller
... Frau Huller
... Bertha-Marie
Warwick Ward ... Artinelli
Alice Hechy
... Seeman
... Hafenarbeiter
Paul Rehkopf ... Zuschauer auf dem Jahrmarkt
Charles Lincoln ... Spanischer Artist
Georg Baselt
Trude Hesterberg ... Zuschauerin imm Varieté
... (unconfirmed)
The Flying Codonas ... Acrobatic Ensemble (as Die Drei Codonas)
Alex Hyde and his Original New York Jazz Orchestra ... Alex Hyde and His Original New York Jazz Orchestra
Enrico Rastelli ... Jongleur
See full cast »
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Storyline

Prologue: The murderer "Boss" Huller - after having spent ten years in prison - breaks his silence to tell the warden his story. "Boss", a former trapeze artist, and his wife own a cheap side-show that displays ''erotic sensations''. But he longs for his former glamorous life in the circus. When he meets the orphan Berta-Marie, he falls under her spell and leaves his wife and young son behind. He makes Berta-Marie his partner in a new trapeze number. One day, the famous trapeze artist Artinelli takes note of them and engages them for his trapeze show in Berlin. Their salto mortale becomes an immediate sensation. Calculatedly and cold, Artinelli seduces Berta-Marie and destroys "Boss'" happiness. Written by Christian Taube <taube@isa.de>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

trapeze artist | son | prison | orphan | circus | See All (23) »

Taglines:

THE MOST ASTOUNDING PICTURE EVER PRODUCED! (original poster - all caps - USA) See more »

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Romance

Certificate:

Passed | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

31 January 1926 (Finland)  »

Also Known As:

Jealousy  »
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Box Office

Gross USA:

$709,613, 31 December 1927
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

American humorist S. J. Perelman was so taken with this movie he wrote about it 40 years later in an essay entitled "And, in the Center Ring, That Stupendous Death-Defying Daredevil..." He said "Alfredo Cordona, the wizard of the flying rings, and his partners doubled for the actors. I saw the picture four times, reacting so volcanically to Cordona's forward triple somersault that I almost rent the chair in front of me to matchwood." See more »

Connections

Featured in Von Caligari zu Hitler: Das deutsche Kino im Zeitalter der Massen (2014) See more »

Soundtracks

Vaudeville
Theme song for British release
Music by Vivian Ellis
Lyrics by William Helmore
See more »

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User Reviews

 
An influential film in its day
2 July 2001 | by – See all my reviews

Wonderful cinematagraphy and cutting influenced other films of the day. The story is old, but made interesting by the acting, sets and location shooting. The trapeze act shots are well worth seeing, though vaudeville and circus fans will be unhappy that there are few other acts shown. However, a 30 or 45 second summary of the variety (vaudeville) show is clever.

The print I saw at New York's Museum of Modern Art did not have the 'prolog' either. Perhaps it was omitted when the film was released in the US.
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