L'Atlantide (1932 film)
L'Atlantide is a 1932 German-French adventure and fantasy film directed by G. W. Pabst and starring Brigitte Helm. It is based on the novel L'Atlantide by Pierre Benoît.Production
The film is a remake of the 1921 film of the same name directed by Jacques Feyder. After Feyder refused to create a sound remake of L'Atlantide, Pabst took to directing the film. Both Pabst and Feyder's film adaptations were shot in the Sahara Desert. To compete with American films, the film was shot in three languages: English, French and German. Jean Angelo, who had played Cpt Morhange in Feyder's version, reprised his role in the French version of the remake. Brigitte Helm played Queen Antinéa in all three versions.Plot
Although the plot of this version of L'Atlantide follows the novel and the 1921 film, G.W Pabst and his screenplay writers Ladislaus Vadja and Hermann Oberländer took a different approach to several points in the film. While Benoît's novel was written in a literal and linear way, Pabst took creative liberties. One notable point is that in this version, the film begins with Lt. Saint-Avit having a flashback activated by a broadcast on the radio that discusses the possibility of Atlantis being located in the Sahara. As it ends, the Lieutenant speaks to a fellow soldier, confirming the broadcasters hypothesis and commences telling his story. The structure of narration here is framed entirely as a flashback from Lt. Saint-Avit, who may be suffering from hallucinations caused by desert heat, or the his compulsion to smoke hashish. Because of this, viewers may be unsure whether or not Lt. Saint-Avit can be trusted as a narrator.Cast