''Ariane'' is a 1931 German

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

directed by

Paul Czinner Paul Czinner (30 May 1890 – 22 June 1972) was a Hungarian-born British writer, film director, and producer. Biography Czinner was born to a Jewish family in Budapest, Austria-Hungary. After studying literature and philosophy at the Universi ...

and starring

Elisabeth Bergner Elisabeth Bergner (22 August 1897 – 12 May 1986) was an Austrian-British actress. Primarily a stage actress, her career flourished in Berlin and Paris before she moved to London to work in films. Her signature role was Gemma Jones in '' Esca ...

, Rudolf Forster and

Annemarie Steinsieck Annemarie Steinsieck (21 September 1889 – 29 August 1977) was a German actress. She was married to actor Hugo Werner-Kahle. Selected filmography * '' The Duke of Reichstadt'' (1920) * '' Modern Vices'' (1924) * '' Dear Homeland'' (1929) * '' ...

.BFI.org
/ref> It is an adaptation of the 1920 French novel '' Ariane, jeune fille russe'' by Claude Anet. Two alternative language versions '' The Loves of Ariane'' and '' Ariane, jeune fille russe'' were made at the same time. The film was the inspiration of the 1957

Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an Austrian-American filmmaker. His career in Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Classic Holly ...

film '' Love in the Afternoon''.Philips p. 187 Wilder remembered the film as "touching and funny". It was shot at the

Staaken Studios Staaken Studios was a film studio located in Staaken on the outskirts of the German capital Berlin. A large former zeppelin hangar, it was converted to film use following the First World War and operated during the Weimar Republic. In July 1923 it ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

. The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the vis ...

Erich Zander Erich Zander (11 April 1905 – 15 April 1991) was a German field hockey player who competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics and in the 1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German language, German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1 ...

and Karl Weber.

Location shooting Location shooting is the shooting of a film or television production in a real-world setting rather than a sound stage or backlot. The location may be interior or exterior. The filming location may be the same in which the story is set (for ex ...

took place in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

Plot

The exiled Russian student Ariane Kusnetzowa passed her Abitur at a high school in Zurich. She decides to travel to Berlin to study. During a visit to the opera, she meets the well-mannered, world-experienced and much older Konstantin Michael, a charming and yet a little cool gentleman and bon vivant. He starts wooing her, and the young and initially shy girl tries to catch up with him by pretending to be a seasoned adventuress who already has some experience with men. Konstantin makes his point of view clear to Ariane from the start. "I won't be staying here long. One day I will travel and never return. But I would like to spend this short time with you, Ariane Kuznetzowa.” Ariane gets involved in this game in the hope of one day binding this enigmatic man, who has a strong charisma, to her forever. She doesn't want to admit the love she feels for him (yet). After a holiday together in Italy, the day of departure comes. This ends in nothing more than an adventure for Konstantin, and he abandons Ariane without batting an eyelid. A world collapses for the girl. Although deeply hurt, she doesn't show it and acts completely cool when she says goodbye. Back in Berlin, Ariane considers how she can take revenge on Konstantin for this humiliation. The opportunity arises when he comes to Berlin again and arranges to meet Ariane. When she comes face to face with him, she can't help but confess her love to him in a heated argument. Gradually Konstantin begins to understand. Ariane has decided to end the chapter of Constantine for good. Saying goodbye at the train station. When the train starts to move, Ariane follows along for a while, then the man makes his decision. At the moment when her strength is about to dwindle, Konstantin Michael lifts the girl onto the train. Both drive into a common future.

Cast

References

Bibliography

External links

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''Ariane''
Full movie at the Deutsche Filmothek 1931 films 1930s German-language films Films of the Weimar Republic Films directed by Paul Czinner German romantic drama films 1931 romantic drama films Films based on French novels Films based on romance novels German multilingual films Nero-Film films Films set in Paris Films shot in Paris German black-and-white films Films with screenplays by Carl Mayer Films with screenplays by Paul Czinner 1931 multilingual films 1930s German films Films shot at Staaken Studios {{1930s-romantic-drama-film-stub