Those who chance upon this film will have the privilege of watching one of the greatest performances by an actor to be captured on celluloid. Heinrich George in the title role surpasses even himself and ranks alongside Charles Laughton in 'Hunchback of Notre Dame', Emil Jannings in 'Der Lezte Mann' and Harry Bauer in 'Les Miserables'. Ironically Bauer played the role of the stationmaster in 'Nostalgie' two years earlier but as that film seems to have sunk without trace one is unable to compare.
Hilde Krahl is absolutely magnificent in this her 'breakthrough' role as Dunja who possesses what Byron called 'the fatal gift of Beauty' and is told by one of her lovers Minsky, played by the excellent Siegfried Breuer:'you pay a price for everything in life'. Indeed she does.
The production of this film is very interesting historically as it was made during the brief period between the signing of the non-aggression pact between Germany and Russia in 1939 and Germany's invasion of Russia in 1941. Needless to say after the outbreak of hostilities this film based upon a story by Pushkin would have been unthinkable.
This is probably Gustav Ucicky's greatest film. It won the Mussolini Cup in Venice and one would like to think this was due as much to its aesthetic qualites as to the politics of the time although his egregious propoganda film 'Heimkehr' was awarded the same prize the following year. What does that tell you?
As a postscript Ruth Heilberg who has the thankless part of Dunja's faithful friend, was married at the time to actor/director Wolfgang Liebeneiner. They divorced in 1943 and the following year Liebeneiner married.... yes, you've guessed it, Hilde Krahl!
Heinrich George, as is well documented, died in a Soviet prison camp in 1946 and was buried in an unmarked grave. He certainly paid the price.
