[photo credit: Sierra Madre Playhouse]
Pola Negri stars as Countess Elnora Natatorini, an adventuress who abandons Monte Carlo for a small Midwestern American town, only to clash with its rigid social codes. Directed by Mal St. Clair, the film explores themes of independence, reputation and transformation. Pearl Jam’s emotional grit and raw urgency underscores Negri’s performance, matching the countess’s force of personality while the film’s elegance and stillness sharpen the impact of the sound.
Negri was formidable in her era. Raised in poverty in Poland after her father was sent to Siberia, she became a well-known stage actress before signing with Paramount Pictures in 1922—the first European actress contracted in Hollywood. At her peak, she earned $10,000 per week and lived in a mansion reportedly modeled after the White House. Her 1920s films, including “Bella Donna” (1923), “The Spanish Dancer,” “The Cheat” and “Rosita,” established her femme fatale persona.
The Silents Synced project was created by Josh Frank, founder of Austin’s Blue Starlite Mini Urban Drive-In. “This is the culmination of everything I’ve been involved with creatively,” Frank said. “It’s about the theatrics of putting on a show for people and using what I’m passionate about, which is music and experimenting with narrative.”
“A Woman of the World” will run on Friday, January 30 and Saturday, January 31 at 8:00 p.m. Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 West Sierra Madre Boulevard, Sierra Madre, California. For more information, call (626) 355-4318 or visit www.sierramadreplayhouse.org/event/womanoftheworld.
