The port of Hamburg, a pair of magicians (the dense face of Jenny Hugo and the adorable one of Willy Fritsch, two of the most perfect actors at the twilight of the silent era), a love story in the (real and reconstructed) slums. A camera used with intelligence and modernity, often moving on the actors’ faces. The seedy characters surrounding the two protagonists in the tavern where Carmen lives are memorable, just one as an example, the sardonic sneer of Fritz Rasp. Jenny Hugo acts subtly, with unexpected and eccentric gestures before the lens which she seems to dominate. Fritsch, out of balance, falls prey of her liveliness and ends up by missing the thread of the tale and the frame as well. Cinémathèque Royale has found the reel of the censored scenes in Bundesarchiv and has added it to this version presented for the first time at Il Cinema Ritrovato.