I watched the German silent film ASPHALT last night and I gotta say -- Betty Amann was like nothing I've ever seen on screen. NOTHING.
She was the single embodiment of early Joan Crawford, Clara Bow, and Louise Brooks. Why Betty did not play Lulu instead for the dreadful Louise Brooks is beyond me. She was so striking I could not take my eyes off her.
The film is actually pretty silly. There's far too much melodrama for the situations. And it's somewhat annoying when Betty's character pleads Gustav Frolich's character to be with her and when he finally proposes marriage she explodes with anger and tries to blow him off. The characters just seem to get mad for no reason and it's over the top. Other than that, the actors were good and the cinematography was good and VERY GERMAN! Great use of shadows, silhouettes, and camera angles.
But Betty Amann! Anyone can fall for her. Although she had some Louise Brooks-esque qualities, Betty could act. But she did not over-do it like Clara Bow tended to do sometimes. Betty was like a perfect medium. She was very expressive, yet natural. She looked much like Joan, Clara, and Louise all in one person. She was mesmerizing.
