Summary
From the grimy underbelly of New York's service class, where Olga Dolan toils as a public stenographer in a gilded hotel, a raw ambition ignites. Seduced by the seemingly honorable Cyril Ralston, whose promises of future matrimony are as hollow as his aristocratic charm, Olga endures the humiliation of introducing him to her impoverished existence, only to be cast aside with a mere temporary lodging. When Ralston absconds to England, Olga's crushed vulnerability transmutes into a potent, calculated desire for retribution. She meticulously engineers her own transatlantic journey, securing a secretarial post with Lady Constance Bromley, only to uncover Ralston's true deceit: he is not only her employer's son but also a married man. With surgical precision, Olga redirects her focus, leveraging Ralston's lingering, now obnoxious, infatuation to gain an introduction to the influential Duke of Rutledge. Her sharp intellect and unyielding resolve quickly elevate her to the Duke's private secretary, where she demonstrates a ruthless pragmatism, even employing flirtation with a Spanish diplomat to secure vital signatures. The narrative reaches a fever pitch when the Duke's sequestered, mentally unstable wife escapes her confinement, intent on patricide. Olga, with a decisive intervention, thwarts the attack. The Duchess, consumed by a paroxysm of jealousy at Olga's proximity to her husband, suffers a fatal heart attack, conveniently clearing the path for Olga, the architect of her own destiny, to finally ascend to the ducal title she so meticulously pursued.
Synopsis
Poor Olga Dolan works as a public stenographer at a fashionable New York hotel. After she charms the Honorable Cyril Ralston and introduces him to her uncouth father and squalid home, Ralston persuades her to accept a suite of rooms in a hotel, promising he will marry her "some time." When Ralston returns to England, Olga vows revenge. She goes there working as the secretary to Lady Constance Bromley, and once there, learns that Ralston is her employer's son and also that he is married. Interested in the Duke of Rutledge, Olga makes Ralston introduce her to him. After Ralston becomes obnoxious in his advances, Olga becomes the duke's private secretary, impressing him when she flirts with a Spanish diplomat to make him sign some papers. When the duke's insane wife escapes from her secluded room in the castle, Olga stops her from killing the duke. The duchess' subsequent fatal heart attack brought on by intense jealousy allows Olga to marry the duke.
Review Excerpt
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The Serpent's Ascent: Unpacking Theda Bara's 'Lure of Ambition'
Step back into the roaring, yet often silently profound, cinematic landscape of the early 20th century, a time when shadows danced across silver screens, weaving tales of passion, treachery, and an unyielding human spirit. Among the glittering constellations of stars, one burned with a particularly dark and alluring flame: Theda Bara, the original 'vamp.' Her very name conjured images of exotic seduction and dangerous allu..."
