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47 5 switzerland to Paris to Newyork Negri now headed to St. Moritz for the Swiss opening of Madame Du Barry. She traveled with Lena, her maid, and Paola Loebel, who gave Negri English lessons and functioned as her secretary. Negri now found that she had to study constantly, whether it was scripts or languages. She had learned German in Berlin, and her relationship with Petronius helped with that. Negri was still lonely for her lover, but there was no remedy like a wide-open future. She was on her way to the country where she knew she would achieve her dreams. Her first stop was St. Moritz, then Paris and New York, and finally Hollywood. She had done nine films in Poland and twenty-four in Germany. It was time to see where else her talent might lead her. St. Moritz offered clear mountain air for her fragile lungs. Negri nestled herself in her hotel for the first few weeks to compose herself, pray, and meditate. She was still tormented by the thoughts of another failed love affair. She was a movie star—tens of thousands of people adored her. Yet Petronius had bade her a cold farewell. Negri’s name was on everyone’s lips all over St. Moritz, and people schemed to meet with her. She found that she could generate publicity by simply hiding, and again she became the talk of the town. The manager of the theater where Madame Du Barry was to premiere insisted that she make an appearance at a charity ball scheduled after the movie. Negri agreed to attend the formal dinner only and then return to the hotel. Loebel set out Negri’s evening gown, along with stunning jewelry. Since people wanted to see a star, it should be an unforgettable experience for them. Negri describes in her memoirs how she decided to cancel her appearance at the last minute, declaring that she could not attend the party Pola Negri 48 without Petronius. Loebel lectured her on keeping appointments and maintaining her image. People needed her to show them that life was grand, and she shouldn’t let them down. Negri still refused to go, so Loebel and Lena dropped the bombshell: they had received word from Berlin that Petronius was seeing another woman. The news spurred Negri’s sense of revenge, and she attended the ball. Her appearance delighted the organizers . Next morning her hotel suite was as thick as a garden with bouquets of flowers, many from admirers who had titles—nobility was paying its tribute to the woman who played Madame Du Barry. Plans were made to throw a party in her honor. Negri soon tired of Switzerland. Having to be nice all the time became very draining, and she was longing for peace and quiet. She missed having a private life. However, from here on, there was to be no more hibernation time for Negri. She insisted on leaving for Paris early, just in case Petronius would be there. She left St. Moritz discreetly, without making the usual announcement and goodbyes. She needed inner peace, and she was not going to find it in Switzerland. Paris, the city of love, enticed her with its bustle and eternal mystique. The sidewalks, packed with people she didn’t have to talk to, pulsed with life, and that made her happy. She walked around admiring old and new buildings, courtyards, and public squares. Cafés offered cuisine she had never tried, and the great fashion houses sold clothes that satisfied every romantic woman’s dreams. Negri went to all the landmarks and found other interesting places on her own. If she was wandering around heartbroken , she was in good company. Parisians understood love and heartbreak —it was their passion. Paris was the place to go for anyone torn up by an affair, and Negri could celebrate her sadness there as in no other European city. To be in Paris also meant a lot of shopping, so Negri attended fashion shows and spent extravagantly. She drove to Versailles and walked in the footsteps of the real Jeanne Du Barry, who created herself out of sheer willpower and died for her successes. Negri found that all too understandable —her own willpower was a double-edged sword as well. Jeanne Du Barry’s success had laid the foundation for her own, and Du Barry’s life had become entwined with Negri’s future. Pola began to find her rhythm. She went to the...

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