The Schaltraum - Berlin, Dec 2006
Pola Negri
Born in Poland, Made in Germany, Stolen by Hollywood
During her long life, she was a lover of Rod La Roque, at one time engaged to Chaplin, threw herself on the grave of Valentino, accused by the French press as having an affair with Hitler, married a Baron - later - another marriage go around with a Prince, feuded with Gloria Swanson, ended her film career at Disney, and at the age of 100 living under the Texas sun.
Pola Negri came into this world as Appolonia Chalupek. Raised by her mother in Warsaw, she trained as a dancer at the Imperial Ballet School, but after recovering from a bout of tuberculosis, she gave up dancing to pursue a career in acting at Warsaw's Imperial Academy of Dramatic Arts.
After early successes in Poland, she moved to Berlin at the request of Max Reinhardt. Her last film for the Polish film producer, Alexander Hertz, marked the end of this phase of her career, and, in relocating to Berlin, she had the distinction of being the only cast member from the Polish production to be retained in Rheinhardt's newly staged production of Sumurun for The Deutches Theatre.
Her first German film productions were under the guiding hands of Ernst Lubitsch. Already considered to be the most popular comedienne of his day, Lubitsch had starred in and directed in a number of short films, establishing himself a following, a necessity for the bankers and industrialist who would eventually create Universum-Film AG (Ufa) and establish a strong domestic market for German produced films countering the influence of what would become the staple of films stemming into Germany from the United States.
With Pola Negri and the immensely talented Emil Jannings, Lubitsch filmed his first feature, The Eyes of the Mummy Ma. Thought by many - and Lubitsch himself - as anything but a masterpiece, Mummy still exhibits style and production techniques that Lubitsch would nurture, refine, and employ throughout his career - evident, in deed, in the works of Mitchell Leisen and others who made films for Lubitsch while he presided over Production at Paramount Pictures in the 1930s.
Other Lubitsch-Negri films followed, including Carmen, Madame DuBarry, and the filming of Reinhardt’s Sumurum - each production being more lavish and sophisticated than the previous. And, each finding an eager and receptive audience.
Within 5 years, Pola Negri had established herself as one of the most talented actresses working on stage and screen. And, had caught the eye of some of the most important people in the US film industry. Columnist Louise Parsons reported that Charlie Chaplin, a founder of United Artists, when asked upon his return from a European tour in 1920, what was the most beautiful thing he had seen in Europe, Chaplin – without hesitation - replied, "Pola Negri."
Berlin in the early 20's was a breeding ground for actors, directors, composers, cameramen, screen writers - many who later were enticed to re-locate to the US. If Pola Negri was the prize catch, it was Ben Blumenthal, a NY booking agent associated with Adolph Zukor’s Famous Players and his partner, Samuel Rachmann - a promoter of boxing and wrestling matches - who knew just what bait to use.
Germany's political and economic status in the years following World War II was in shambles. The Versailles Treaty put strident restrictions on the German industrialists who survived the war and who were ready to re-activate pre-war contacts and fortunes. In effect, Germany was barred from exporting goods and services. And at the same time, German laws stemming from 1916 barred certain imports, including the legal showing of American films.
Despite financial hardships - but with little foreign competition - the German film industry began to blossom. Blumenthal, Rachmann, and Zukor saw financial opportunities in the newly revived German film industry and Rachmann, in particular, sought a way to circumvent the prohibition on German products. In light of the contract Pola Negri was offered, Blumenthal was able to guarantee a New York opening of Madam DuBarry. Retitled Passion, this Lubitsch epic was sly billed as an “European Production” - Polish actress, French story - no doubt an attempt to sooth still lingering anti German sentiment.
Passion was a pick up for distribution by First National and opened December, 1920 at NY’s Criterion Theatre, New York. It was well received by critics and the general public alike and went on to recoup many times over the reported $40,000 pick up cost negotiated by Rachmann. Blumenthal, showing an uncanny sense of timing, had a personal contract with Frau Negri, signed a month prior to the NY opening of Passion and, and later re-assigned his rights to the newly reorganized Paramount-Famous Players-Lasky Company. Miss Negri set off to the New World and after being feted in New York for several days, she traveled by train to Southern California, arriving in September of 1922 - just in time to walk into the beginnings of a life long feud with Paramount's other Divine Diva of the 1920's, Gloria Swanson.
With almost certainty it can be said that Pola Negri can lay claim to being Hollywood's first imported star.
Rod LaRoque: today, his name brings nearly a glimmer of recognition - except for a reference in the opening lines of Billy Wilder's Sunset Blvd (1950) and his justly deserved “Hollywood Star” found at 1580 Vine Street. But in the 1920's, there were few Hollywood actors who had more appeal at the box office than Rod LaRoque. From an early performance in Cecil B. DeMille's first attempt at "The Ten Commandments" (1923) until his retirement in Capri's Meet John Doe" (1941), LaRoque was one of the few Silent Screen actors who successfully bridged the film industry's transition to "talkies." Along the way, audiences will remember LaRoque, this tall, handsome American, playing opposite a young German actress, Leni Riefenstahl, in Tay Garnett's S.O.S. Iceberg" (1933).
Also along the way, is this tantalizing notion: were Pola Negri and Rod LaRoque the first to bring sex to the Big Screen? The film in question is Ernst Lubitsch's Forbidden Paradise (1924). Farfetched? In a private interview before her death, Pola Negri gave this account:
„Yes, I was correctly quoted in saying I introduced sex into films in the 20's, but it was sex in good taste and left a great deal to one's imagination. For example – in "Forbidden Paradise" (a filmed satire of Catherine the Great of Russia) directed by Ernst Lubitsch, my favorite director since we started our careers in Berlin on Max Reinhardt's stage – the Czarina invites her aide-de-camp to visit her in her private boudoir (the aide was played by Rod La Roque who was over 6' tall). According to the part he was very stiff and shy during the visit as he had left his fiancee waiting for him in the garden by the goldfish pond. The Czarina was trying to kiss him, but to no avail, as he was much taller and she only reached to his shoulder. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a footstool and reached out with her foot to pull it closer, stepped onto the stool and was then the same height as he – she put her arms around him and kissed him. He responded to the kiss. In the next shot the cameras zoomed to the fiancee who noticed the lights in the Czarina's room go out and the camera then turned to the pond where two goldfish were making love.“
Of her early career in Hollywood, Glen Pringle from Monash University commented: In her films, Pola's characters, as well as her screen presence, were distinctly European: sexy in every contemporary sense of the word; strong, earthy, passionate -- full of fire, and her roles to date were of women whose will and ardor were equal to Negri's own.
A strong presence of this can be heard in her recording of "Tango Notturno" the title song of one of the few “talkies” she made in the German language and is available for down load at this link:
For those who would like to know more about Tangos, the Polish composer Jerzy Melodysta, and orchestras in Europe before the First World War have a look at this link:
There is, as you would expect, far more Hollywood intrigue and lore in the long life of Pola Negri - including the allegations made by the French Press about her alleged affair with Adolph Hitler. For those of us living in Berlin and who want to read Pola Negri’s own account of the „Hitler Affair“ - as well as many other mesmerizing encounters with the famous and not so famous - a quick trip to the AGB (Blücherplatz 1,10961 Berlin -Tel.: 030 / 90226-0) for her autobiography - Memories Of A Star - is highly recommended.
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