The Wonderful Lies of Nina Petrovna

(Die wunderbare Lüge der Nina Petrowna, Hanns Schwarz, Germany 1929, 80 min., 35mm) 

Director Hanns Schwarz's silent film stars Brigitte Helm, the actress renowned for her role in Fritz Lang's Metropolis two years earlier. Full of love and lies, the story presents Helm as Nina, a wealthy general's lover who falls for a poor man impersonating a lieutenant. Though the narrative appears simple, the characters weave webs of deceit that unearth wonderfully accurate and profound expressiveness from the silent actors.