The Duchess of Buffalo (1926)

Constance Talmadge is super in this gentle farce about a dancer on a tour on Imperial Russia. She attracts the attention of dashing, handsome "Orloff" (Tullio Carminati) and the two hit it off nicely. Their relationship causes a bit of jealously - not least from the Grand Duke "Gregory", who just happens to the married father of our young dragoon - and who attempts to put the kibosh on their burgeoning courtship. What ensues is a pleasant mini-farce as the girl has to deal with her love, her charming, useful but unwanted elderly suitor - and, of course, his wife - the little cabbage Grand Duchess "Olga" (Rose Dione). Sidney Franklin has adapted Max Brod's unheralded play "Sybil" well, the story is simple and amusing - there's a quite a fun scene with the two men, the two women and a wardrobe (no Narnia!) that knits the story effectively towards the end... Many filmmakers of the time chose the Romanov court as a sentimental backdrop for their stories, and this is certainly amongst the best.