About a gypsy who earns a living as a dancer in cheap barracks. Homeless, her performance is documented by a young and talented but largely unsuccessful composer. Before he dies, he leaves the gypsy dancer his artistic legacy, a previously unpublished composition. A little later, she becomes the wife of the orchestra leader, who completes the unfinished composition and wants to gain the sole glory for it.
Acting
Maria Orska's smoldering physical presence commands every frame.
Direction
Mack and Neher craft economic tragedy in 42 minutes.
Director
Max Mack
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Maria Orska was a major Jewish star of Weimar cinema; she died in the Holocaust, making this surviving fragment devastatingly precious.
The 'gypsy' archetype here reflects period prejudice, yet Orska's performance subverts exoticization through raw dignity.
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