Die Abenteurerin von Tunis

The exploitation of mineral resources in North Africa and rebellious Bedouins, clandestine arms deliveries and intrigues of European businessmen. These are the ingredients of this travel and adventure film with no shortage of suspense and comic episodes but also rife with colonialist clichés. As the title suggests, Ellen Richter saw herself above all as an adventuress who takes on any man in her role as the fearless, never despondent and always humorous dancer Colette.

For Ellen Richter, her first sound film marked both a new beginning and a comeback. New for cinema-going audiences was the opportunity to finally hear Ellen Richter’s voice. A voice with an unmistakable Viennese accent, casual, unexcited. What was not new was the action-adventure genre which had brought Richter much success and acclaim during her heyday in the 1920s. In fact, the plot is very reminiscent of her first three-part action-adventure film Die Abenteuerin von Monte Carlo (The Adventuress of Monte Carlo, 1921), released ten years earlier and also set in France, Spain and North Africa.

Already in the earlier film, Karl Huszár-Puffy had supplied comic relief at the heroine’s side, as he does again here. In fact, the comic supporting actors in Ellen Richter’s films (which here also includes Senta Söneland as the formidable, yet also highly devoted wife of Huszár-Puffy’s character) deserve a special mention. (Philipp Stiasny/Oliver Hanley)