Part 3/9:
Bara's transformation took a dramatic turn when she caught the eye of director William Powell in Paris. As the storm clouds of war loomed, Powell whisked her away to America, where she emerged as a tantalizing figure draped in exotic silks, capturing the attention of the press and the populace alike. Despite the allure, her on-screen persona was a studied performance, cultivated through a combination of calculated publicity and carefully curated interviews which painted her as the epitome of mystery.