Under the Lantern

Else Riedel (Lissy Arna) is barred from her home by her authoritarian father and seeks refuge with her boyfriend Hans. Complications arise when Hans's roommate Max falls in love with her; the trio remains friends and decides to form a music hall act. They long to rise, but the path isn’t clear—until a theatrical agent named Nevin enters Else’s life. Portrayed by Hubert von Meyerinck as a slick, oily villain who exudes refinement, his prison stint is dismissed with a silk scarf. He is cunning to the point of perfidiousness, but not completely unsympathetic. He embodies a new type—the scrounger.