Die Schauspielerin

Maria Rheine and Mark Löwenthal, two young actors, are lovers. They work at a small German theater. But suddenly, in 1933, he gets the sack because he is a Jew. His only chance is to join the newly formed Jewish Theater in Berlin. Maria, however, is classified as "racially pure" and finds an open door everywhere. They lose sight of each other, their respective lives being miles apart. Yet at the premiere of "Joan of Arc", where Agnes enjoys overwhelming acclaim, a bouquet of flowers is left in her dressing room by Mark. He does not risk seeing her personally. It suddenly dawns on her how compromised her love - not least through her selfishness - has become. She is shocked and decides that she won't have people dictate to her again who she may love or not. She assumes a Jewish identity. She breaks with everything and everyone, lives as Manja Lowenthal at the side of Mark and she relinquishes her much-loved profession. In the face of precarious political events, she comes to realize the deadly consequences her decision has for both of them. But there is no breaking her resistance: she becomes a member of the Jewish Theater. (Progress Film-Verleih)