''Storms of Passion'' (German: ''Stürme der Leidenschaft'') is a 1932 German

crime film Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...

directed by

Robert Siodmak Robert Siodmak (; 8 August 1900 – 10 March 1973) was a German Jewish film director. His career spanned some 40 years, working extensively in the United States and France, as well as in his native country. Though he worked in many genres, he was ...

and starring Emil Jannings, Anna Sten and Trude Hesterberg. It is regarded as a precursor of

film noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...

. The film was produced by Germany's leading film company UFA and shot at the Babelsberg Studios in Berlin. The sets were designed by the

art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...

Erich Kettelhut. It premiered at the Ufa-Palast am Zoo on 22 January 1932.Hardt p.240 An alternative French language version '' Tumultes'', starring Charles Boyer, was also released.

Synopsis

Criminal Gustav Bumke is released early from his prison sentence and returns to the

tenement A tenement is a type of building shared by multiple dwellings, typically with flats or apartments on each floor and with shared entrance stairway access. They are common on the British Isles, particularly in Scotland. In the medieval Old Town, E ...

block where he lives with girlfriend Annya. His old colleagues want him to join them on a bank robbery. He is reluctant at first, but when they run into trouble he comes to their assistance. Then, needing an alibi, he goes to a party where he witnesses Annya cheating on him with the photographer Ralph. In the ensuing struggle, his love rival falls to his death. Now wanted for murder, his hiding place is betrayed by his erstwhile girlfriend. Bumke calmy accepts arrest, feeling there is more truth inside prison than outside with the dishonest Annya.

Cast

* Emil Jannings as Gustav Bumke * Anna Sten as Russen-Annya * Trude Hesterberg as Yvonne * Franz Nicklisch as Willy Prawanzke * Otto Wernicke as Police Commissioner * Hans Deppe as Der Nuschler * Hans Reimann as Max * Julius Falkenstein as Paul * Anton Pointner as Ralph Kruschewski * Wilhelm Bendow as Emmerich * Hermann Vallentin as Gefängnisdirektor

References

Bibliography

* Grange, William. ''Cultural Chronicle of the Weimar Republic''. Scarecrow Press, 2008. * Hardt, Ursula. ''From Caligari to California: Erich Pommer's life in the International Film Wars''. Berghahn Books, 1996. * Spicer, Andrew. ''Historical Dictionary of Film Noir''. Scarecrow Press, 2010.

External links

* 1932 films Films of the Weimar Republic 1932 crime films German crime films 1930s German-language films Films directed by Robert Siodmak German multilingual films German black-and-white films Films produced by Erich Pommer UFA GmbH films 1932 multilingual films 1930s German films Films shot at Babelsberg Studios German-language crime films {{1930s-Germany-film-stub