Pola Negri - Black Eyes (Ochi Chornyje) 1931

Black Eyes (Ochi Tschornee) Gypsy Romance -- Pola Negri acc. by Boris Golovka (Guitar) and his Gypsy Ensamble, HMV c. 1929 (UK)

NOTE: In American film history, two are the stars, whose origins were Polish. One was Gloria Swanson - born from a Polish mother and Swedish father, another was Pola Negri, born as Apolonia Chałupiec in a little town of Lipno, Poland. Pola was a daughter of a servant and the wandering tin-pans peddler. With such background, she was deprived of most of chances for a good start into life. However, her immensely ambitious mother took her daughter's fate in her hands. In 1902 they moved to Warsaw, where Pola joinded the dance and acting classes. Still as student, she drew attention of Kazimierz Hulewicz - vice-director of the United Theatres Of Warsaw -- who got her excellent debut as Klara, in the Polish comedy-classic "Śluby panieńskie" by Aleksander Fredro. After the success, Pola was contracted to the Grand Theatre in Warsaw, where -- already a star -- she performed until 1917. Simultaneously, she took roles in early silent movies in Poland, among which the romance "Niewolnica zmysłów" (The Captive Of Her Senses) was noticed by Max Reinhard -- the world-famous theatre director in Berlin. Having been offered contract in Germany, Apolonia changed her name, taking it from the Italian poetess, Ada Negri; also, when crossing Polish-German border she so skilfully arranged a little problem she had with the customs -- whose superior on duty was young & handsome count Eugeniusz Dąmbski -- that after several months she married him (to divorce two years later) and ever since signing herself as "Apolonia Countess Dąmbski". In Germany, Negri was casted by Ernst Lubitsch to serveral of his films, including internationally renowned Madame du Barry and Sumurun. These movies opened her the avenue to the USA. In 1922, she was the first European star to be invited to Hollywood, where she became one of the most popular Paramount actresses in the roles of "la tragedienne" or "femme fatale" (in the genre, she had keen competition with Gloria Swanson). Her more valuable movies include The Spanish Dancer with Rudolph Valentino or Forbidden Paradise with Rod La Rocque. But who knows, maybe more important than artistic achievements were her affairs with Charlie Chaplin and Rudolph Valentino, as well as her second marriage with the Georgian prince, Serge Mdivani. All that made her one of the most popular Hollywood actresses of the era, and certainly the richest woman of the film industry at the time. She lived in a mansion in Los Angeles modeled after the White House. She started several ladies' fashion trends, some of which are still fashion staples today, including red painted toenails, fur boots, and turbans. Her mysterious East European looks and the haute couture fashions made Negri a favorite photography subject of the famous Hollywood portrait photographers, including Eugene Robert Richee.

However, the onset of the talkies meant decline for many silent movie goddesses, Pola Negri was no exception. Her 1920s looks and legend of the "East European aristocrat" was no longer effective in post-Great Depression society, no more needing spiritual dilemmas of the femmes fatales but swing and jolly fellows a la Mae West or Fred Astaire. Therefore, Pola Negri accepted the European contract, where her genre was still trendy: with the 3rd Reich's film empire UFA. The time when she appeared in nazi-film productions, although negatively charged to her reputation (especially as a Pole! ) artistically belongs to her heyday. Her roles in Mazurka (1935), Moskau-Shanghai (1936), Madame Bovary (1937) or Tango Notturno (1937 belong to her best. Also records she issued in Germany with immortal "Tango Notturno" or magnificent Peter Kreuder's "Ich spür in mir" will stay as diamonds in European chanson archives. The the thickening rumors around her, that she was of a Gypsy origin made Negri return to the US, shortly before outbreak of WW2. In 1940s, she appeared occassionally in American productions, yet her artistic career was coming to an end. Living in Texas in oblivion and having secured herself with a well developed brokerage firm, she never suffered from poverty until her death in 1987, in San Antonio. People who knew her -- especially Poles, who were always welcome to stay at her homes in America on in Riviera - all emphasise her generosity and open hearted character. On contrary to the monument-like Gloria Swanson, who all her life played role of some kind of a Nothern Goddess and hardly admitted her Polish ancestry (nobody knows if she ever uttered a single word in Polish) Pola Negri despite her hilarious snobbery on the "aristocratic roots" -- always remained an ambitious, friendly, somwehat cunny and bragging "our girl" from Warsaw.

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