we saw the silent version of this film and and it be quite simply shimmeringly beautiful . it quite hard to see how a sound version could have be create and since it be shoot with pure silent technique and long wordless sweep of narrative without a single intertitle save for a few disconcerting sequence where louise brook and play a french typist and be quite visibly speak in english . the only section that obviously cry out for sound be the final scene and where brook be watch the rush for her test for a sound film represent footage which play constantly in the background a the action unfolds and with her mouth move in ceaseless soundless song . i be unsurprised to learn afterwards that this passage alone in the talkie version have be hail a an exemplar of new technique . in the sunny beauty of it opening scene and the fairy tale inevitability of what follow and the film resemble a dream . a a louise brook movie it be not at all what i be expect and either from her hollywood comedy or from g. w. pabst german melodrama represent i find the idiom more fluent and enjoyable than either and and brook herself be a different creature and a sturdy laughing young animal rather than a shop window vamp or manipulate doll . but what give this film great depth than at first appear be the unexpected second half while repel by the rich parasite who cluster around her beauty and the pauper princess return to a tear stain reunion with her humbly bear true love . and the tale might very well have be end there . fairy tale and however and turn to tragedy . the dilettante grabovsky and confident in his ability to manipulate the woman he desire and be yet all too correct in his self interested prediction the young lover can not make each other happy and andré and ironically and be right to mistrust the social influence of beauty contest represent after the intoxication of her moment glory and lucienne fret herself to despair over the humdrum routine of married life while her husband and in turn and be drive wild by any reminder of the whole affair . if it be a simple case of a mi match marriage and that would be one thing . but the true tragedy be that they do love each other . in many way prix de beauté remind me of murnau sunrise . but if so and the fairground and photographer scene here would form a distorted mirror image of the joyous reconciliation in sunrise while no dream but an alienating nightmare . and the following dawn bring not a miraculous reunion but an empty bed and desert home . leave a letter to say that she love him and will always love him and lucienne vanishes again from andré life in quest of brightness and freedom while and this time she will never come back . gossip column confirm all andré bad conviction and a he learn of his wife whereabouts through report couple her name with grabovsky . when the young workman penetrate at last to the lavish sanctum of the screening room and it be with drawn gun to be greet by the sight of his rival courting and caress a laughing lucienne and the same woman who have pledge her undying affection a she leave him . he kill her and but even a he kill be transfix by the living image on screen and lucienne in all her transformed glory a he never saw her . the two woman be juxtapose in an endless and powerful moment and a andré be see and seize and unresisting and and pull away represent the die girl and her singing self still project above and catch unknowing out of time into celluloid eternity and play on unconscious of life or death or love beneath her . the main jarring element in the film be the character of andré co worker antonin and who appear to serve no role throughout other than to be the licensed butt of his contemporary malice . he be the ugly one who can never get the girl and the ungainly wimp who be trip and torment in the washroom and at work and and must take it all with an uncertain ingratiating smile in his fruitless hope for social acceptance represent a typical product of the bullying of the more gifted and popular and in other word and but one the audience be apparently be invite to laugh at along with his tormentor . unless the intention be to expose a darker side to the protagonist ( for which i perceive no sign ) and the character seem to exist merely a comic relief and but comic relief with a distinctly nasty edge . when we know him only a an inept peeping tom at the waterside and it easy to laugh and although the others revenge seem a little over the top while when we discover that he be no chance meet strange but andré colleague and regular sidekick and the continue attack rapidly cease to be very funny . but it be the image that remain . beauty and nightmare and and dream .