The legendary late nineteenth century tale 'L'inconnue de la Seine' in which the body of an unidentified young woman is fished out of the River Seine allegedly wearing a beautific smile, has never ceased to cast its spell and proved the inspiration for Reinhold Conrad Muschler's novella which is here filmed by Frank Wysbar. This same year Wysba had directed Sybilla Schmitz in the mesmerising 'Fahrmann Maria' and this fascinating actress again plays the title role.
We know her as Madeleine who hails from a good family but is reduced to being a cabaret singer forever fighting off the attentions of amorous suitors and allowing herself the occasional flirtation. She meets by chance a well known explorer played by French actor Jean Galland and finally falls in love but her past life comes back to haunt her. So as not to endanger his reputation she makes the ultimate sacrifice.......
This plot is a familiar one of course but is raised above the merely melodramatic by the superlative performance of Sybilla Schmitz and to my knowledge no other director has served her talents so well as does Herr Wysbar. Her sensitivity and luminous quality shine through the poor quality of the print that is available as does the camerawork of Werne Bohne and the score by Herbert Windt. An effective use is made of part of Schubert's Eighth Symphony.
This heartfelt piece reminds us of how varied were the genres of the 1,300 odd films produced during the Third Reich, a small percentage of which were by nature propogandist.
Sybilla Schmitz paid a heavy price for her success during those years and remains not only one of Germany's loveliest and most enigmatic artistes but also one of the most tragic. How bitterly ironic that in this and a later film from 1953, her character takes her own life.
