This story is a quite close call on the famous case of Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna, whose possible survival as well as claimants had been quite a few. Thank God that at those times the technology wasn't advanced, so the romance and mystery prevailed. Now of course the actual grave of the ill-fated princess is found, putting all the rumors to rest. With the same technology, it could have been easy to find whether Zara was Ines' sister, Maria or not.
The die could cast on either side, the life she had gone through, as the young bride, in the hands of marauding soldiers, the protective amnesia is not too unnatural, and if that shell had been maintained for a decade, it might have been quite difficult to cut through it.
Greta had been brilliant as the woman, who believes she isn't the original, but having fallen in love, tries her best to act up to it. And as usual, she is brilliant when these type of emotional roles come in, there she could create the effect without really going into histrionics. The role the jealous paramour is perfectly suited for Erich Von Stroheim, he looks menacing throughout, as the sadist man, who tries to keep his woman always under his thumb, and naturally can't bear when she rebels. Douglas wasn't up to these levels, but then he wasn't expected to match these two extraordinary people. Tony (Owen) is the only one who never had any doubt, probably because he was an artist? And could look through time?
On the whole it is a highly underrated movie, and there was no reason for it to be, at least now, when we already know the effect of trauma and its ability to cloud the brain. Even the end has been suitably brought by the actors, to suit the situation, in face of the ever present doubt in the mind, as Stroheim said, quite exalted by the havoc he created in their lives.
Review of As You Desire Me
