The film tells the story of a former Imperial Russian general and cousin of the Czar who ends up being broke and working as a bit player in Hollywood in a movie directed by a former revolutionary.
Sternberg uses the [acting] contrast to differentiate the sides of the battle, emphasize the class difference and create a dynamic of old Europe and new.
The breadth of Josef von Sternberg's satire is laid out in the passage at William Powell's office, where the elegant axis is complemented by sang-froid gagwork.
If there are moments when Mr. Jannings holds the same expression and pose too long, you are rewarded for the most part with a brilliant performance in which there is a wealth of imagination.
Chicago Reader
January 01, 2000
Sternberg's direction makes this second only to The Docks of New York as the most accomplished of his silent films.
German Emil Jannings became the first Oscar winner, when he won Best Actor for this as well as The Way of All Flesh; here he plays a former Russian General turned extra who goes mad when asked to recreate the Revolution in a movie
One of acclaimed German actor Emil Jannings' first American pictures, directed by Austrian expatriate Josef von Sternberg and tailor-made to suit Jannings' skills and screen persona.
