MOVIE • 1936

Black Roses

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Released in Germany as Schwarze Rosen, Black Roses represented the return to UFA studios of British musical comedy favorite Lillian Harvey, after several years in Hollywood. The delectable Harvey plays a Russian ballerina, stranded in turn-of-the-century Finland. She falls in love with sculptor Esmond Knight, a political dissident with a price on his head. To save Knight, Harvey spends the night with Tsarist governor Robert Rendel. The story is based on the real-life ballerina Marina Feodorovna, who ended up sacrificing her life on behalf of her lover. Black Roses was filmed in three languages: German, French and English; the English version was originally titled Did I Betray?