''Manon Lescaut'' is a 1926 silent German feature film based on the oft-filmed

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

Abbé Prévost Antoine François Prévost d'Exiles ( , , ; 1 April 169725 November 1763), usually known simply as the Abbé Prévost, was a French priest, author, and novelist. Life and works He was born at Hesdin, Artois, and first appears with the full na ...

. It stars

Lya De Putti Lya de Putti (born Amália Helena Mária Róza Putti; , 10 January 1896 – 27 November 1931) was a Hungarian film actress during the silent film, silent era. She was noted for her portrayals of vamp (woman), vamp characters. Early life and care ...

and was directed by

Arthur Robison Arthur Robison (June 25, 1883 – October 20, 1935) was a German film director and screenwriter of the silent era. He directed 20 films between 1916 and 1935. Selected filmography * '' A Night of Horror'' (1916) * '' What Belongs to Darkne ...

. It was produced and distributed by renowned German film company

Universum Film AG UFA GmbH, shortened to UFA (), is a film and television production company that unites all production activities of the media conglomerate Bertelsmann in Germany. The original UFA was established as on December 18, 1917, as a direct response t ...

better known as ''UFA''. A young actress named

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however, Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

had a supporting role in this production. A set decorator on this film was the soon to be American Expatriate

Paul Leni Paul Leni (born Paul Josef Levi, 8 July 1885 – 2 September 1929) was a German filmmaker and a key figure in German Expressionism (cinema), German Expressionism, making ''Hintertreppe'' (1921) and ''Waxworks (film), Waxworks'' (1924) in German ...

, who would find great success as a director in Hollywood.''Manon Lescaut'' at silentera.com database
/ref> It was shot at the

Babelsberg Babelsberg () is the largest quarter of Potsdam, the capital city of the German state of Brandenburg. The neighbourhood is named after a small hill on the Havel river. It is the location of Babelsberg Palace and Park, part of the Palaces and Park ...

and

Tempelhof Studios The Tempelhof Studios are a film studio located in Tempelhof in the German capital of Berlin. They were founded in 1912, during the silent era, by German film pioneer Alfred Duskes, who built a glass-roofed studio on the site with financial back ...

, both of which were controlled by UFA. In 1927, an American version was made, ''

When a Man Loves ''When a Man Loves'' is a 1927 American synchronized sound historical drama film directed by Alan Crosland and produced and distributed by Warner Bros. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a synchronized musical score with ...

''.

Plot

A French adventurer studying for the priesthood fights to save a woman in the life of prostitution.

Cast

as Manon Lescaut * Vladimir Gajdarov as Des Grieux *

Eduard Rothauser Eduard Rothauser (1876–1956) was a Hungarian-born German actor. Selected filmography * '' The Man in the Cellar'' (1914) * '' The Princess of Urbino'' (1919) * '' Nobody Knows'' (1920) * '' The Graveyard of the Living'' (1921) * ''The Mahara ...

as Marschall des Grieux *

Fritz Greiner Fritz Greiner (1879–1933) was an Austrian film actor. Selected filmography * ''Der Einäugige'' (1916) * ''Der Klub der Einäugigen'' (1917) - Nick Carter * ''Der schwarze Jack'' (1918) - Cowboy Schwarzer Jack * '' The Hunter of Fall'' (1918 ...

as Marquis de Bli *

Hubert von Meyerinck Hubert "Hubsi" von Meyerinck (23 August 1896 – 13 May 1971) was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 280 films between 1921 and 1970. Biography Meyerinck was born in Potsdam, Brandenburg, the son of Friedrich von Meyerinck (1858� ...

as Der Jung de Bli *

Frida Richard Frida Richard (born Friederike Raithel, 1 November 1873 – 12 September 1946) was an Austrian actress. She was a prolific actress in both the silent and sound eras. Selected filmography * ''The Sin of Helga Arndt'' (1916) * '' The Queen's Lov ...

as Manons Tante * Emilie Kurz as Manons Tante *

Lydia Potechina Lydia Potechina (5 September 1883 – 30 April 1934) was a Russian actress. She emigrated to Germany in 1918. She was married to the Russian-German film producer Max Pfeiffer. Selected filmography *''Destiny'' (1921) * ''The Conspiracy in Genoa ...

as Susanne *

Theodor Loos Theodor August Konrad Loos (18 May 1883 – 27 June 1954) was a German actor. The son of a watchmaker and instruments manufacturer, he left secondary school prematurely and worked for three years at an export firm for music instruments in Leipz ...

as Tiberge *

Sig Arno Sig Arno (born Siegfried Aron; 27 December 1895 – 17 August 1975) was a German-Jewish film actor who appeared in such films as '' Pardon My Sarong'' and '' The Mummy's Hand''. He may be best remembered from '' The Palm Beach Story'' (1942) as T ...

as Lescaut *

Trude Hesterberg Trude Hesterberg (2 May 1892 – 31 August 1967) was a German film actress. She appeared in 89 films between 1917 and 1964. Selected filmography * ''Ein Schwerenöter'' (1916) – Liddy * ''Die Eheschule'' (1917) * ''Die Reise ins Jenseits ...

as Claire *

as Micheline *

Olga Engl Olga Engl (30 May 1871 – 21 September 1946) was an Austrian-German stage and motion picture actress who appeared in nearly 200 films. Biography Engl was privately educated in an Ursuline monastery and began her acting career at the Prague C ...

Karl Harbacher Karl Harbacher (1879–1943) was an Austrian actor. Selected filmography * '' Miss Piccolo'' (1914) * '' No Sin on the Alpine Pastures'' (1915) * '' Fanny Elssler'' (1920) * '' Das blaue Duell'' (1920) * ''The Adventuress of Monte Carlo'' (1921) ...

* Hans Junkermann *

Hermann Picha Hermann Picha (20 March 1865 – 7 June 1936) was a German stage and film actor. Picha was extremely prolific, appearing in over 300 short and feature films during the silent and early sound eras. Picha played a mixture of lead and supporting ...

References

External links

*
''Manon Lescaut; allmovie.com''
1926 films German black-and-white films 1926 romantic drama films German silent feature films Films of the Weimar Republic Films directed by Arthur Robison Films based on French novels Films based on romance novels Films based on works by Antoine François Prévost Films set in the 1720s Films set in the 1730s Films produced by Erich Pommer UFA GmbH films German historical romance films 1920s historical romance films Films shot at Babelsberg Studios Films shot at Tempelhof Studios German romantic drama films Silent romantic drama films 1920s German films Silent historical romance films {{1920s-Germany-silent-drama-film-stub