Marie-Luise Iribe is not considered a particularly talented actress by certain critics of that time who found her “mannered”, especially in Feyder’s big box-office hit of 1921, L’Atlantide, where she plays the role of Tanit Zerga. In 1927 she produced and acted in a commercial film by Jean Renoir – Marquitta – a romantic adventure story about a prince from Central Europe. During that time she was Pierre Renoir’s girlfriend. The influence exerted by the Renoir family can be seen in the opening credits of Hara-kiri and in the person of Pierre Lestringuez who put his name on the screenplay. He was Jean Renoir’s co-screenwriter, and they worked together on the adaptation of Nanà. In short, Hara-kiri carries the mark of Renoir’s cinema. […] The film has a modern style under various aspects: the ellipse, which was daring for the time without being affected; the surprising way in which innovative shots are filmed inside the shape (sometimes shot sequences, sometimes from very close-up); the voluntary sobriety in the timing of the story (linear, simple and effective) as an aid to the plot, something more characteristic of a filmmaker of our time; the camera movements that utilize lateral tracking shots and panning with skill and exactitude, as well as a zoom effect, completely unusual for its time, which accompanies the sentimental drama.

Bernard Trémège, L’Avant-Scène Cinéma, 405. October 1991