Variétés

Wonderful cinematagraphy and cutting influenced other films of the day. The story is old, but made interesting by the acting, sets and location shooting. The trapeze act shots are well worth seeing, though vaudeville and circus fans will be unhappy that there are few other acts shown. However, a 30 or 45 second summary of the variety (vaudeville) show is clever.

The print I saw at New York's Museum of Modern Art did not have the 'prolog' either. Perhaps it was omitted when the film was released in the US.

The Plot: Prologue: The murderer "Boss" Huller - after having spent ten years in prison - breaks his silence to tell the warden his story.

"Boss", a former trapeze artist, and his wife own a cheap side-show that displays ''erotic sensations''. But he longs for his former glamorous life in the circus.

When he meets the orphan Berta-Marie, he falls under her spell and leaves his wife and young son behind.

He makes Berta-Marie his partner in a new trapeze number. One day, the famous trapeze artist Artinelli takes note of them and engages them for his trapeze show in Berlin. Their salto mortale becomes an immediate sensation. Calculatedly and cold, Artinelli seduces Berta-Marie and destroys "Boss'" happiness.

If you are watching a version shorter than 112 minutes, you are watching the edited version. My screening was 83 minutes so I know there were lots of scenes cut out.

Still, it's an interesting movie. Yes, the story line is dated, but I assume that was not the case back in 1925.

The direction is really good.

I found interest in watching how people lived back then. Smoking all the time indoors, the luggage used, the different acts at the circus (which, BTW, was not a circus as we know it today, more a vaudeville show).

All the guys wear suits and ties and hats. A different time and place.

Anyway..it's true that the story is not complex. And it's also true that the female lead is not especially attractive. Nor is she slim. And Jannings is laughably overweight to be an acrobat.

The guy who is is stunt double for the acrobat scenes is literally 80 pounds lighter!

Despite all...watch it for the cinematography!

In 1915 Germany, burly trapeze artist Emil Jannings (as Stephan "Boss" Huller) leaves his wife and partner for sultry young Lya de Putti (as Berta-Marie). Soon, the carnival performing pair are hired by famed trapezist Warwick Ward (as Artinelli), after his flying brother is derailed by a fall. The high swinging threesome is an immediate success. But, after his trimmer partners begin to take care of their mutual attraction, Mr. Jannings must commit the crime for which he serves ten years in prison - as revealed in the present-day prologue. No doubt, it's going to get nasty…

Appearing decidedly middle-aged, and with his overweight figure impossible to disguise, Jannings is miscast to the point of ridiculous. But, he was so popular most viewers accepted Jannings as the trim athletic "catcher" flying high. For American consumption, Paramount left out Jannings' adulterous first act (and trimmed the remainder of the film). This softens Jannings' character, of course. The film cutters did leave in some flashes of female nipple. That, Jannings, and some great camera-work from Karl Freud made "Varieté" a critical and commercial success in the US.

****** Varieté (11/16/25) E.A. Dupont ~ Emil Jannings, Lya de Putti, Warwick Ward, Maly Delschaft

Variete is a well-directed and well-acted morality play. Chock full of cynical humor and ironic twists, it keeps your attention throughout in expert fashion until the last 20 minutes of the movie. Then things unravel too quickly and too obviously to hit home with the intended impact of the final irony. Still, I give it 7 out of 10.

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.