Maria Corda

Maria Corda, born Maria Antonia Farkas on May 4, 1898 in Hungary, began her career on the Budapest stage, and her successes there allowed the move to film. Maria eventually left Budapest and followed her husband, director Alexander Korda, to Vienna. Through his direction and promotion she was starred in several films including Samson und Delila (1922) and Michael Curtiz's Die Sklavenkönigin, Moon of Israel being the U.S release title (1924).

In 1926 she and her husband moved to Berlin. It was there Korda directed Maria in A Modern DuBarry (1926 - released in 1927). That film landed Korda his Hollywood contract, and he and Maria moved to the United States. Her one truly successful Hollywood film performance was in The Private Life of Helen of Troy (1927) , also directed by Korda. The film received the honor of being nominated for an Academy Award in 1928, the year of the Awards' inception, in the category of Best Title Writing .

Time Magazine Dec 26, 1927 (portion of review)

Helen of Troy is a legend whose life has passed, like an old coat, from king to courtier, from courtier to servant, from servant to beggar. Homer wrote about a fine and glittering lady; Marlowe found lines like golden bells, for a casual queen; John Erskine made the legend into a matrimonial farce, and now the matrimonial farce has become a cinema, played against Maxfield Parrish walls and valleys, by Maria Corda, a pretty little blonde girl with an affected way of showing her teeth.

BTW, the same issue of Time contained a very positive review of Tod Browing's lost film London After Midnight (1927), starring Lon Chaney.

Maria brought her Hollywood career to an end with the coming of sound, and returned to Europe where she appeared in a few minor films. Maria died in Geneva in 1975.

Scene from Helen of Troy

I believe this is from Helen of Troy.

Maria Corda - What do you think - Allure?