Tuesday, October 17, 2023, 7:30 p.m., Dryden Theatre
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Hotel Imperial (1927)
(Mauritz Stiller, US 1927, 85 min., 16mm)
The first of three 1927 collaborations between Polish-born star Pola Negri and Finnish-born director Mauritz Stiller, Hotel Imperial is based on the 1917 Hungarian play of the same name. In World War I Hungary, Lieutenant Paul Almasy (James Hall) falls from his horse in battle and drags himself to the Hotel Imperial. There, Anna (Negri), the hotel’s maid, persuades Paul to hide out at the hotel by acting as the waiter. Meanwhile, Anna is being courted by a Russian general and Paul uncovers a new offensive by the Russian army. Putting her vamp persona behind her, Negri takes on the role of a tense and overwhelmed peasant who puts her country’s needs in front of her own.