Customer Reviews

The Love of Jeanne Ney

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"The Love of Jeanne Ney" is a glorious complex love and suspense story that has murder, politics, one loved one responsible for the death of another, and a hateful scoundrel. Jeanne Ney is the daughter of a man stationed in Russia immediately prior to the Bolshevik revolution. Before he can effect their return to Paris, her young lover and a comrade confront him over a list of Bolshevik leaders and her Father is killed in a gunfight. There are many great characters, from the conman who sold the worthless set of names to her Father, to the kindly official who tries to ease her pain after her Father's death, and on to her mercenary uncle and blind cousin in Paris. The cinematography is gorgeous and inventive, the street scenes are magnificently detailed, and the screenplay by Ilya Ehrenberg is outstanding.

While not one of German director G.W. Pabst's most famous silent films today, "The Love of Jeanne Ney" might well be one of his finest in many respects such as cinematic styles and characters, and the excellent picture quality on this DVD, together with a fitting orchestral score, enhance this film even more. It is essentially a beautiful love story set in a tumultuous time; first in Russia after the Revolution where French girl, Jeanne Ney, is caught up in the Bolshevik take-over, and then in Paris where her uncle is murdered and her lover framed for the crime. The story is interesting and often unpredictable, but I was even more impressed by the characters and the way Pabst brought out the best in them, often with some evocative and poignant scenes. Although Jeanne is the key figure, it is in fact the villain who steals the show, in my opinion, and who better than Fritz Rasp to play the part, with his exquisite talent for depicting the most despicable characters, and with a face you just want to slap. (He effectively played a similar despised character in a later G.W. Pabst film, "Diary of a Lost Girl" starring Louise Brooks) Another impressive role is by Brigitte Helm, who played Maria in the famous silent classic, "Metropolis", and in this film quite brilliantly portrays Jeanne's blind cousin who falls prey to the villainous Fritz Rasp character. There are quite a few stark and memorable scenes in this film, thanks to Pabst's discerning eye and sense for subtle yet effective and sophisticated drama, making "The Love of Jeanne Ney" a particularly satisfying viewing experience.

The laserdisc version released by Image as part of the "Golden Age of German Cinema" box set was excellent, given the age of the film. I assume that this will be the same release. The new score by Timothy Brock performed by the Olympia Chamber Orchestra is also excellent. His scores for Faust, Sunrise, Nanook of the North and The Last Laugh are also worth checking out. Most of them are available on CD here at Amazon.

Now if they would only release Pabst's other masterpieces

on DVD (Pandora's Box, Diary of a Lost Girl)!!

First, the important stuff..
sound and image are very good, although the restoration could have been better.
Still, a most satisfying visual and audio experience. I will enjoy watching this movie once a year along with other Pabst movies. I found the pace of the narrative most brisk and it nicely carries you along through the quality sets and visuals. I especially enjoyed the quick, succinct, and suspenseful, train compartment conclusion. I highly recommend this for the libary of all those who enjoy classic silent cinema that has very good visual and audio quality.