The Film Primadonna

The Urban Gad film with Asta Nielsen in the title role shows a film star who leaves her place in front of the camera and takes control of the process of image production. In the first reel – the others are unfortunately lost – the film’s self-referential qualities manifest themselves on two levels, through the protagonists and through extradiegetic references. The story of a production establishes the dramatic constellations in which the famous Ruth Nreton is called upon to prove her screen appeal and her leadership skills. Supervising the making of her screen persona, she exhibits the confidence of someone in complete control; the provocative gesture of smoking in public is a measure of her appropriation of male privilege. More important still, the ‘film primadonna’ is well aware of the pleasures to be gained once the images of women are no longer exclusively in the hands of men. The film’s spectators are invited to watch as she negotiates with the director, promotes an aspiring screenwriter, examines the first contact print, and suggests better camera angles to her cameraman. These different settings show the woman at ease with the technical side of cinema. Whether in the studio, the printing lab, or the producer’s office, every encounter underscores her expertise. To prove her independence, the star in the film repeatedly takes advantage of the commingling of screen persona and public persona, for instance when she usues sexual allure to consolidate her position in a predominantly male world. —Sabine Hake