What!—No Bath ?

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 643, 20 April 1929, Page 18

What! —No Bath ?

■ HIEFLY because there was no accommodation for her to take a bath in a Paris cinema studio after her day’s work, Pr’ucess Serge Mdivani, better known as Pola Negri, the famous film star, has broken her contract with a French cinematograph company. As a consequence, the princess has paid as recompense £4,000. She had been engaged to take the part of Queen Marie Antoinette in a big production entitled “Le Collier de la Reine” (“The Queen’s Necklace”), from the famous novel by Alexandre Dumas. Pola Negri was married in France two years ago, and owns a beautiful chateau a short distance from Paris. This was the first occasion on which she was to appear in a French film production. On' visiting the studio the princessstar expressed herself as dissatisfied with the arrangements that had been made for her personally. She said that the studio for her private use was far too small.

: “There is not l even a bathroom,” remarked the princess in any angry tone, adding: “An actress is entitled to have ; a bath after a hard day’s work.” Wanted Three Maids She also wanted three maids and . 30 big folding screens to protect her from people’s curiosity when she was working. ; In long arguments with the managers of the film company the prln- . cess declared that there was one ’ thing on which she would never I yield—the bathroom. As it was not possible for the i cinema company to met her requests, she declined to discuss the matter further. Tearing up her contract, . she signed a cheque for half a million francs (the amount stipulated for such an eventuality) and handed it i to the directors. In a later interview, Pola Negri ■ denied that she had been too exacting. She added that she was also totally dissatisfied with the scenario of “Le ■ Collier de la Reine,” which was submitted to her.