Get the MovieNight app
Add it to your home screen — faster & full screen
Get the MovieNight app
Add it to your home screen — faster & full screen
Not part of a collection.
A paraplegic baroness mistakes a man's pity for love - and tragedy ensues.
CinemaSerf
Sep 5, 2022 · via TMDB
Albert Lieven is efficient here as the Austrian officer "Marek" who meets the glamorous "Baroness Edith" (Lilli Palmer) at a lavish dance. Asking her for a waltz, he soon discovers that she has been paralysed. The two chat and remain in touch over the coming months where she falls well and truly in love. Thing is, he doesn't quite reciprocate and when she accidentally discovers this, she runs away, distressed and alone, and her thoughts turn to suicide. The title is quite apt here - it illustrates the dangers of, however innocently, leading someone on with gestures of affection and kindness when they don't have the necessary reality filters to appreciate the distinction between fondness and amour. It's set just before the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, so has many of the opulent settings of the Hapsburg court as a backdrop - the costumes and settings all look grand. There is also an interesting sub-plot with dedicated doctor "Kondor" (Sir Cedric Hardwicke) and his blind wife "Klara" (a lovely, nuanced effort from Gladys Cooper) with the latter proving a vital conduit for the young man to realise just what his relationship with "Edith" really means... It's rather wordy this, and there are maybe just too many characters that rather diffuse the narrative a little too much - but if you enjoy historical melodrama with a fine period score from Nicholas Brodsky then you ought to enjoy this rather superior drama with a conscience.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
Lilli Palmer
Baroness Edith de Kekesfalva
Albert Lieven
Lt. Anton Marek
Cedric Hardwicke
Dr. Albert Condor
Gladys Cooper
Mrs. Klara Condor
Linden Travers
Ilona Domansky
Ernest Thesiger
Baron Emil de Kekesfalva
Emrys Jones
Lt. Joszi Molnar
Ralph Truman
Maj. Sandor Balinkay
Fritz Wendhausen
Josef
John Salew
Col. Franz Bubencic
Freda Jackson
Gypsy
Anthony Dawson
Lt. Blannik
Jenny Laird
Trudi
Vida Hope
Mrs. Tausky (uncredited)
Cecil Beaton
Costume Design
Maurice Elvey
Director
Maurice Elvey
Producer
W.P. Lipscomb
Producer
Stefan Zweig
Novel
W.P. Lipscomb
Screenplay
Give Them Wings
Josee, the Tiger and the Fish
The Elephant Man
Emanon
Rain Man
Ruth
The Sea Inside
The Holy Mountain
Aunt Mary
Radio
The Fundamentals of Caring
Chandu Champion
Unbreakable
Skyward
Whose Life Is It Anyway?
The Daughter Pays
Coming Home
The Dance of Death
Afraid to Fight
The Home Maker
Live Flesh
Josee, the Tiger and the Fish
Stella Maris
Leopardi
If I Had Wings
Triumph
I Just Wanna Hug You
The Whip
Sitcom
He Was a Quiet Man
Seeing Hands
Monkey Shines
Wheels
Midori
The Kid Brother
Struck by Lightning
When a Feller Needs a Friend
Rear Window
Lady Chatterley's Lover
Living and Other Fictions
Your Friend
Daruma
108 Stitches
Girl and Body
The Primrose Ring
Incondicional
Fish Out Of Water
Spirit of the Flesh
Derailed
Forgive Me. Thankyou
Espina
Muscle Grandpa
Looking Away
Lo chiamava Rock & Roll
Frankenstein Created Robyn
Gabriel's Inferno
Gabriel's Inferno: Part III
Gabriel's Inferno: Part II
Life in a Year
Purple Hearts
My Policeman
The Secret: Dare to Dream
Bitter Moon
Peter Ibbetson
Forever First Love
Untamed Heart
The Lost Husband
Madame Bovary
Lady Chatterley's Lover
Fifty Shades Freed
Not Easily Broken
Fire with Fire
Newness
Blind
Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between
Nine Lives
Maria's Lovers
The Waterdance
The Golden Bowl
See You Soon
The Man from Elysian Fields
Oct 31, 1947
© 2025-2026 MovieNight. All rights reserved.
Versus
Sign in to play →
Seven Dorms of Death
2015
Preview
1982
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Halloween
1978 · 13 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Halloween II
1981 · 11 wins
Trivia
Leaderboard →Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.
Movie Trivia
Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
What movie experience do you prefer?
What is your favorite movie genre?
Versus
Sign in to play →
Seven Dorms of Death
2015
Preview
1982
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Halloween
1978 · 13 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Halloween II
1981 · 11 wins
Trivia
Leaderboard →Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.
Movie Trivia
Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
What movie experience do you prefer?
What is your favorite movie genre?
We use essential cookies to run MovieNight, plus analytics (Google Analytics) and advertising (Google AdSense) cookies. By continuing to browse, you agree to this — or click No and we won't. See our Terms & Privacy Policy to learn more.