Donald Sosin on Piano

(a.k.a. One Arabian Night). Pola Negri and Lubitsch himself starred in the pantomime-ballet on which the extravagant Sumurun was based, a Max Reinhardt stage production that drew its inspiration from The Arabian Nights. Lubitsch plays Abdullah, a hunchback clown who falls hopelessly in love with an alluring dancer (Negri) from his traveling troupe. Matters are complicated by the interest of an old sheik, who discovers the wild, dark-haired beauty and buys her as an addition to his harem. This is a unique opportunity to see the great director on screen; Lubitsch hurled himself into his part with gusto and garnered generous appraisals of his exuberant performance (Josef von Sternberg adored Lubitsch's portrayal of the lovelorn hunchback).