The Love of Jeanne Ney

Plot

Jeanne (Édith Jéhanne) is the daughter of André Ney (Eugen Jensen), a French diplomat and political observer. The family is based in Russia during the post-revolutionary civil war. Her father is set up by the scheming Khalibiev (Fritz Rasp), who sells him a list of Bolshevik agents that includes Jeanne's lover, Andreas Labov (Uno Henning). The information is leaked by Alfred's Chinese servant, though Khalibiev isn't implicated. With the revolutionary army about to storm the city, Andreas is forced to execute Jeanne's father. She is horrified, but urges Andreas to run for his life. He warns her that it is she who must run, as the Red Army will soon occupy the town. She escapes with the help of a homely soldier, who's become smitten with her.

Jeanne flees to Paris, followed by Khalibiev and Andreas. She takes a job as a secretary under her uncle Raymond (Adolph Edgar Licho), a private detective. Khalibiev sets about seducing Raymond's blind daughter, Gabrielle (Brigitte Helm), in order to rob her and run away with a flapper he meets at a bar. The latter girl balks and warns Raymond, who has meanwhile been searching for a stolen diamond with a $50,000 reward. The diamond turns out to have been swallowed by a shiny-object-loving parrot.

Raymond, who has become hopelessly obsessed with Jeanne, tries to force himself on her and loses his grip on reality. That night Khalibiev sneaks in, strangles him, and steals the money. He frames Andreas by letting the blind Gabrielle grab his coat while he flees the scenes of the crime (he stole the coat from Andreas) and dropping a wallet with Andreas's photo. Andreas is caught delivering money for the communist party in France, which makes him look all the more suspicious.

Jeanne thinks to use Khalibiev as an alibi, as he saw her leaving the building with Andreas, without realizing he is the murderer. They travel by train with the apparent intention of clearing Andreas, but Khalibiev makes sexual advances to her. When she screams he attempts to silence her with his handkerchief, forgetting he has wrapped the stolen diamond in it. She realizes he is the murderer. He is arrested, and Andreas is freed. They leave together.

Cast

Reception

J. Hoberman lists The Love of Jeanne Ney among "the culminating works of silent cinema" as "an ambitious attempt to synthesize Soviet montage, Hollywood action-melodrama, and German mise-en-scène."