Leben um Leben is the sequel to the 1915 murder mystery Das Tagebuch Collins (Collin’s Diary). The plot of the first film (now considered lost), revolves around the diary of engineer Fred Collin, who takes his own life in despair over the murder of his fiancée. When the body is found, his friend the banker Peter Tomson is wrongfully suspected of having murdered Collin. However, as the diary later reveals, the true culprit was the covetous Spanish dancer Carmen Sorgatha (later Princess Carmen Metschersky), abetted by her former lover, the shady Peppo Pastia. The film ends with Carmen poisoning herself in prison while awaiting her sentence.
Leben um Leben resumes the story with the honeymoon of Peter Tomson and Ellen, who earlier had played the key role in discovering Collin’s diary and clearing the name of her future husband. During their stay, they again cross paths with Carmen Metschersky, who has managed to survive her suicide attempt and was acquitted of the murder charge due to lack of sufficient evidence. Her accomplice Peppo Pastia was convicted, but later released thanks to her help. When Carmen learns that she will inherit nothing from her deceased husband’s estate, she and Peppo (posing as her uncle Pedro Costa) hatch an elaborate scheme to seduce and murder Tomson’s business partner, Kurt Frederich. However, Ellen Tomson manages to foil their machinations yet again, and the villainous pair suffer a chilling end (in the truest sense).
Ellen Richter was the first muse of producer-director Richard Eichberg, for whom she starred in 13 films between 1915 and 1918. Of these, only two – Leben um Leben and Das Bacchanal des Todes (The Bacchanal of Death, 1917) – are known to survive today. Eichberg was a prolific, no-nonsense filmmaker who specialized in popular subjects and genres, encompassing everything from thrillers to historical epics to musicals. According to Eichberg specialist Michael Wedel, many of the components of the director’s signature style are already in place in his early films with Ellen Richter. These include his deft handling of suspense and action, and his employment of “exotic”/”erotic” elements, as well as his penchant for elaborate, ornate set designs and dramatic lighting effects, all of which are evident in Leben um Leben. Indeed, the backlit depiction of the tragic and desperate figures of Carmen and Peppo against the freezing wintry backdrop of Krummhübel/Karpacz in present-day Poland at the climax of the film is one of the stand-out moments of Heinrich Gärtner’s critically acclaimed photography.
Another Eichberg trademark, his expert handling of crowds, is prominent in two scenes, a spectacular fancy-dress ball and a demonstration (reportedly featuring over 1,200 extras) in front of Tomson and Frederich’s bank when the bank is forced to stop payments following a poor day on the stock market.
Richter was the only member of the principal cast who had also appeared in Das Tagebuch Collins, and here she is clearly the star of the picture. Her character is the linchpin that holds all the elements together. Richter appears to revel in her role, and thanks to her stage training makes the best of the rather theatrical mise-en-scène. Her characterization of Carmen Metschersky as an out-and-out villainess stands in marked contrast to the morally ambiguous heroines or good-hearted evildoers Richter would later portray. The character of a fiery Spanish dancer would reappear throughout her career, notable examples being the title character in Lola Montez, die Tänzerin des Königs (Lola Montez, the King’s Dancer, 1922), and “La Bella Dolores”, the main protagonist of the now (largely) lost comedy Die schönsten Beine von Berlin (Saucy Suzanne, 1926/27). – Oliver Hanley

The restoration  A rare example of Richter’s early, pre-1920 film work, before she became her own producer, Leben um Leben has survived more or less intact, in the form of a vintage Swedish release print preserved in remarkable condition in the Archival Film Collections of the Swedish Film Institute. This nitrate print, tinted and toned in a variety of different colours, served as the basis for the 4K digital restoration carried out by the DFF – Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum that is premiering at this year’s Giornate. For the restored version, the Swedish titles of the source element have been replaced by reconstructed German titles based on the text of the surviving German censorship card from 23 May 1921. Technical work was carried out by ARRI Media at its facilities in Munich and Berlin.