The Polish Dancer
About The Polish Dancer
Pola Basnikov, played by Pola Negri, stays out late until a fight with her father sends her out of the house. Her boyfriend Dmitri gets her a hotel room. She gets him drunk, takes his money, and leaves a note promising to repay it. She models, then dances in a cabaret. A married patron, Alexi, starts an affair and does not tell her he has a family. When he is ready to leave his wife they celebrate at the Cafe de Paris. Dmitri waits on them, does not recognize her, finds the repayment and a note, and later kills her. Alexi's wife Sonya has already agreed to a divorce and dies of an illness before he can return.
Cast & crew
More about The Polish Dancer
Aleksander Hertz directed for the Warsaw studio Sphinx. The Polish title is Bestia. It was shot in Warsaw in 1916, under German occupation, and opened on 5 January 1917. The American release, in 1921, used the title The Polish Dancer. A long dance sequence is in the film.
Themes
Background
Shot in occupied Warsaw in 1916 and released at the start of 1917.
Notes
- Negri plays Pola Basnikov, not a character named Lea.
- The U.S. title arrived four years after the Warsaw opening.
Scenes
- Pola drugs Dmitri with drink and leaves with his money.
- He serves her at the Cafe de Paris and does not know her.
- He kills her after finding the note.
