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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 992

Bestia

Video edition
Wikimedia Commons
Original language
No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: English.
This copy runs
63:34
Subtitles
No subtitle track in this language

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · Aleksander Hertz · Public domain

Synopsis

Pola leaves her parents' home and takes money from her boyfriend to start again. Work as a model leads her to the cabaret stage, where she becomes involved with a man whose marriage she knows nothing about. Her growing independence is threatened when the relationships she has left behind return to confront her.

Cast

Historical context

Filmed in Warsaw during the German occupation, Bestia records Pola Negri's career before her international stardom. Its American release used the title The Polish Dancer; surviving copies of that version helped preserve the film.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The public-domain references concern the original films in the United States. Rights can differ for other countries, editions, restorations, music or translations. Sources are listed on each film page.

Availability checked on September 15, 2026.

Photograph credit

Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.

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