Beware of Pity at BFI Southbank

In the dying days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire a cavalry officer attends a ball and asks his host’s daughter to dance, not realising that she is paralysed. Guilt-stricken, he compensates by befriending her out of pity rather than compassion. Fatally misunderstanding his attentions, she falls in love with him. This powerful melodrama, adapted from a novel by Stefan Zweig, is lit up by an icily commanding performance from Lieven as the unresponsive soldier and an affecting portrayal of unrequited love from Lilli Palmer. Costumes by Cecil Beaton.