Varieté

As the name already indicates "Variety" is situated in a vaudeville setting. It is about trapeze artists who regularly change partners (both in business and in love). Emil Jannings plays a man who leaves his wife for a younger woman but gets very jealous when he is at risk of receiving the same treatment.

The film portrays the decadence of the roaring twenties in Germany. See for example the scene in which the artists have their own afterparty after the show.

The story however is somewhat flawed. The Emil Jannings character has the possibility to take revenge in a way that looks like an accident. Why he does not choose to do so remains unclear.

Above all "Variety" has earned his place in film history due to the dynamic camera movements during the trapeze scenes. In this way the film is more a cinematographer's film than a director's film. Especially Karl Freund would remain a leading cinematographer in decades to come.