Very good and watchable silent. Jannings gives a great performance and Sternberg photographs Evelyn Brent with the same adoration he would later heap on Dietrich. Together they are the heart of the film and the middle hour is a fantastic ride. The bookends are not quite so good, especially the conclusion that doesn't really make sense in context, although Sternberg directs the hell out of it.

A political thriller framed in Shakespearean tragedy. Or is it the other way around? Sternberg makes elegant use of a swift runtime, with motivations and sympathies rapidly shifting.

Jannings kinda hams it up, as is his wont, and the ending didn't quite work for me but otherwise I thought this was almost as good as Docks of New York. The long intro/extended flashback/long conclusion structure was intriguing, and I liked how your sympathies are frequently shifting. I also thought Evelyn Brent was terrific, and Jannings, despite his over-mannerisms, is pretty damn good too. Some excellent camerawork as well. An all-around fine film, very compelling and watchable for a silent.

An effective, atmospheric silent film by Von Sternberg featuring a broad--but very moving--performance by Emil Jannings.

One of the better (surviving) silent films