THE MISTRESS OF ATLANTIS
1932

(also released as THE LOST ATLANTIS)

In the early 30’s in Britain, France, and Germany films were often shot in triplicate in order to satisfy the demands of all three markets.

Georg W. Pabst’s The Mistress of Atlantis was one such threefold production. Pabst filmed it simultaneously with the French-language L’Atlantide and the German language Die Herrin von Atlantis, but a combination of linguistic obstacles and box office calculations forced him to use three different core casts. Brigitte Helm, who spoke both English and French in addition to her native German, was able to play the title role in all three versions but she would do so opposite a bewildering array of male leads.

Vladimir Sokoloff appeared in the German and French versions, but not the English. Jean Angelo seems to have played in the French and English versions, but not the German. Five other key performers can be seen in only one version each, while the same extras and bit-players show up across the board.

It must have been incredibly trying to keep track of it all, and no doubt there’s a very good reason if Helm often seems both bored and exasperated in the English speaking version (the material for which was reportedly always shot last).

Finally, as well as being shot in three different languages, the English version was also released under two different titles. It was released on 25th December 1932 in the UK as The Mistress of Atlantis, while in 1939 it was released in the USA as The Lost Atlantis.

PLOT:
At a French outpost in North Africa, Lieutenant Saint-Avit and his comrade listen to a radio broadcast concerning the lost city of Atlantis now believed buried under the Saharan sands. Saint-Avit confides to his friend that he'd once been there and proceeds to tell his bizarre story in flashback...

CAST:
Brigitte Helm ... Antinea
John Stuart ... Lt. Saint-Avit
Tela Tchaï ... Tanit Zerga
Gustav Diessl ... Morhange
Gibb McLaughlin ... Count Velovsky
Mathias Wiemann ... Ivar Torstenson
Odette Florelle ... Clementine
Georges Tourreil ... Lt. Ferrieres

RUNNING TIME: 81 MIN