(Sidney Franklin, US 1933, 98 min., 35mm)
This rarely-seen pre-code gem features John Barrymore in all of his maniacal glory. Elena Krug (Diana Wynyard) was a lover of Archduke Rudolf von Habsburg (Barrymore) before the revolution in Austria. She is now married to respectable psychoanalyst Anton Krug (Frank Morgan) in a happy union. When rumors abound that Rudolf is sneaking back over the border for a celebration in honor of the Emperor’s 100th birthday, Elena questions her choices but, at the encouragement of her husband she attends the party and reunites with Rudolf. She has difficulty rebuffing all of Rudolf’s advances but finally returns home, with Rudolf in pursuit, leading to a final showdown between the two suitors. Cinematographer George Folsey captures both the opulence of palatial living and the nostalgia for a time now long gone.