La stella di Rio

Star of Rio is a pretty watchable little film, even though it's hard to categorize it: partly musical (but with only one musical number played, sang and danced over again), partly a whodunit (even though there's really no mystery about who has done what) and partly a love triangle (even though the triangle is mostly two-sided), it's basically a film built around La Jana. She was born as Henriette Margarethe Hiebel in Vienna, began her career at a child ballet for the Frankfurter Opera, and had later entrances in cabarets and revues where she continued appearing successfully as a dancer. She was a great hit in films, and it's really a pity that Stern von Rio is her last picture. During a Christmas tour in 1939 she caught pneumonia and pleurisy which led to her death at the age of 35. The premiere of the film took place exactly one week after her death, so naturally it was a huge hit in its morbid way. Definitely not a great classic, but a well crafted film that will hold your attention