S2 Ep6: Brigitte Helm

Great European Lives with Charlie Connelly

In this episode, host Charlie Connelly explores the life of German actress Brigitte Helm. She had barely acted when turning in one of the greatest performances of the silent era in Fritz Lang's 1927 Metropolis. However, despite her talent and versatility, she was constantly being miscast as a femme fatale or vamp, which did not go unnoticed by film critics. After marrying and having a child, she lived out her life in a Swiss town nearing the Italian border, escaping the rising anti-Semitism in Nazi Germany and refusing any interviews. Defined by a decade of her life she couldn’t control due to tight contractual agreements, once she then regained this control she would not relinquish it anytime soon. Enjoyed this episode? Let us know by tweeting @TheNewEuropean.