''Manon Lescaut'' is a 1926 silent German feature film based on the oft-filmed

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

by Abbe Prevost. It stars Lya De Putti and was directed by

Arthur Robison Arthur Robison (June 25, 1883 – October 20, 1935) was a German film director and screenwriter of the silent era. He directed 20 films between 1916 and 1935. Selected filmography * ''A Night of Horror'' (1916) * ''What Belongs to Darkness' ...

. It was produced and distributed by renowned German film company

Universum Film AG UFA GmbH, shortened to UFA (), is a film and television production company that unites all production activities of the media conglomerate Bertelsmann in Germany. Its name derives from Universum-Film Aktiengesellschaft (normally abbreviated as ...

better known as ''UFA''. A young actress named

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

had a supporting role in this production. A set decorator on this film was the soon to be American Expatriate

Paul Leni Paul Leni (born Paul Josef Levi; 8 July 1885 – 2 September 1929) was a German filmmaker and a key figure in German Expressionism, making ''Hintertreppe'' (1921) and '' Waxworks'' (1924) in Germany, and '' The Cat and the Canary'' (1927), ''Th ...

, who would find great success as a director in Hollywood.''Manon Lescaut'' at silentera.com database
/ref> It was shot at the

Babelsberg Babelsberg () is the largest quarter ('' Stadtteil'') of Potsdam, the capital city of the German state of Brandenburg. The affluent neighbourhood named after a small hill on the Havel river is famous for Babelsberg Palace and Park, part of the Pala ...

and

Tempelhof Studios The Tempelhof Studios are a film studio located in Tempelhof in the German capital of Berlin. They were founded in 1912, during the silent era, by German film pioneer Alfred Duskes, who built a glass-roofed studio on the site with financial bac ...

, both of which were controlled by UFA. In 1927, an American version was made, ''

When a Man Loves ''When a Man Loves'' is a 1927 American silent historical drama film directed by Alan Crosland and produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The picture stars John Barrymore and features Dolores Costello in the frequently filmed story of Abbe P ...

''.

Plot

A French adventurer studying for the priesthood fights to save a woman in the life of prostitution.

Cast

* Lya De Putti as Manon Lescaut *

Vladimir Gajdarov Vladimir Georgievich Gajdarov (Russian: Владимир Георгиевич Гайдаров; 25 July 1893 – 17 November 1978) was a Russian film actor and star of Russian and German silent cinema. Filmography *''Father Sergius'' (1917), as N ...

as Des Grieux *

Eduard Rothauser Eduard Rothauser (1876–1956) was an Austrian-born German actor. Selected filmography * '' The Man in the Cellar'' (1914) * '' The Princess of Urbino'' (1919) * '' Nobody Knows'' (1920) * ''The Graveyard of the Living'' (1921) * '' The Mahar ...

as Marschall des Grieux *

Fritz Greiner Fritz Greiner (1879–1933) was an Austrian film actor. Selected filmography * ''Der Einäugige'' (1916) * ''Der Klub der Einäugigen'' (1917) - Nick Carter * ''Der schwarze Jack'' (1918) - Cowboy Schwarzer Jack * '' The Hunter of Fall'' (1918 ...

as Marquis de Bli *

Hubert von Meyerinck Hubert "Hubsi" von Meyerinck (23 August 1896 – 13 May 1971) was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 280 films between 1921 and 1970. Biography Meyerinck was born in Potsdam, Brandenburg, the son of Friedrich von Meyerinck (1858� ...

as Der Jung de Bli *

Frida Richard Frida Richard (born Friederike Raithel, 1 November 1873 – 12 September 1946) was an Austrian actress. Selected filmography * ''The Sin of Helga Arndt'' (1916) * '' The Queen's Love Letter'' (1916) * '' The Marriage of Luise Rohrbach'' (1917) * ...

as Manons Tante * Emilie Kurz as Manons Tante *

Lydia Potechina Lydia Potechina (5 September 1883 – 30 April 1934) was a Russian actress. She emigrated to Germany in 1918. She was married to the Russian-German film producer Max Pfeiffer. Selected filmography *''Destiny'' (1921) * '' The Conspiracy in Genoa ...

as Susanne *

Theodor Loos Theodor August Konrad Loos (18 May 1883 – 27 June 1954) was a German actor. The son of a watchmaker and instruments manufacturer, he left secondary school prematurely and worked for three years at an export firm for music instruments in L ...

as Tiberge *

Sig Arno Sig Arno (born Siegfried Aron, 27 December 1895 – 17 August 1975) was a German-Jewish film actor who appeared in such films as ''Pardon My Sarong'' and ''The Mummy's Hand''. He may be best remembered from ''The Palm Beach Story'' (1942) as Toto ...

as Lescaut *

Trude Hesterberg Trude Hesterberg (2 May 1892 – 31 August 1967) was a German film actress. She appeared in 89 films between 1917 and 1964. Selected filmography * '' The Rosentopf Case'' (1918) * ''The Story of a Maid'' (1921) * ''Fridericus Rex'' (1922) ...

as Claire *

as Micheline *

Olga Engl Olga Engl (30 May 1871 – 21 September 1946) was an Austrian-German stage and motion picture actress who appeared in nearly 200 films. Biography Engl was privately educated in an Ursuline monastery and began her acting career at the Prague Co ...

Karl Harbacher Karl Harbacher (1879–1943) was an Austrian actor. Selected filmography * '' Miss Piccolo'' (1914) * '' No Sin on the Alpine Pastures'' (1915) * ''Fanny Elssler'' (1920) * '' Das blaue Duell'' (1920) * '' The Adventuress of Monte Carlo'' (1921) ...

Hans Junkermann Hennes "Hans" Junkermann (6 May 1934 – 11 April 2022) was a German professional racing cyclist who won 35 road races in 18 seasons from 1956 to 1973. He won the German National Road Race in 1959, 1960, and 1961. Biography Junkermann was bor ...

Hermann Picha Hermann Picha (20 March 1865 – 7 June 1936) was a German stage and film actor. Picha was extremely prolific, appearing in over 300 short and feature films during the silent and early sound eras. Picha played a mixture of lead and supporting r ...

References

External links

*
''Manon Lescaut; allmovie.com''
1926 films German black-and-white films 1926 romantic drama films German silent feature films Films of the Weimar Republic Films directed by Arthur Robison Films based on French novels Films based on romance novels Films based on works by Antoine François Prévost Films set in the 1720s Films set in the 1730s Films produced by Erich Pommer UFA GmbH films German historical romance films 1920s historical romance films Films shot at Babelsberg Studios Films shot at Tempelhof Studios German romantic drama films Silent romantic drama films 1920s German films {{Germany-silent-film-stub