Silent Sundays: A Woman of Paris (1923)

“In the magic city of Paris, where fortune is fickle and a woman gambles with life...”

            What is it about love that makes people do crazy things? Especially in films people seem to do insane things when they are in love. Like, I get it there needs to be drama so relationships and love are heightened beyond measure. I always understood that concept that everything needs to be heightened for film stories to get people invested and interested but I never really pondered the idea of why characters in films, such as god awful chick flicks and more classic sophisticated dramas, do outrageous things for love until I watched Charlie Chaplin’s 1923 film A Woman of Paris.

            Marie St. Claire (Edna Purviance) has been locked in her room by her stepfather. She wants to leave to be with Jean Millet. The two plan on leaving the following morning for Paris where they will be married. He has come to talk to Marie so they can prepare for the following day. The stepfather sees that Claire has left her room by climbing out the window and locks her out. After their walk Claire realizes she has been locked out and Jean knocks on the door. The stepfather tells Jean that he sure Jean can give her a place to stay for the night. Jean does not think it will be a problem with his mother to make up a bed for Marie to stay in for the night. Unfortunately, his parents, for some unknown reason, do not like Marie and do not want her to be in the house. Jean gives Marie money to get their tickets for the next train out of the village to Paris while he goes back to his home to get his things. Jean’s father tells him that he does not want to see him again. All Jean wants to do is say goodbye to his parents. He says goodbye to his mother and when he walks over to his father who is seated in a chair he finds his father has suddenly died. Marie calls the house from the station and Jean tells her what has just happened and that he wants to postpone the trip.

            A year later Marie St. Claire is living the good life in Paris. She is always seen on the arm of a wealthy man named Pierre Revel (Adolphe Menjou). Pierre is the wealthiest bachelor in all of Paris. He always takes Marie out to a nightclub and has her put up in a grand apartment with the best clothes. One day Marie’s friends see an engagement announcement that Pierre is getting married to a woman who is not Marie. When Marie finds out on her own about her love she is upset and does not feel like seeing him that night. She is invited to a party and given an address. The friend does not know which side of the road the house is located so Marie takes a chance and goes to what is the wrong one at first. But the wrong house brings her face to face with Jean after a year. He has become a painter and lives with his mother. Marie has changed a great deal in a year she is not at all like the girl Jean had fallen in love with. Marie puts on some airs and tells Jean she wants him to paint her portrait.

            After several weeks of working together, Jean has fallen in love with Marie again and wants to marry her. Marie is unsure of what she wants most in life, marriage or luxury. She wants a real home but she has become so accustomed to living in luxury she is not sure if she wants to give that up. When Marie tells Pierre she is unhappy he just laughs at her. She tells him that they cannot go on seeing each other because she loves Jean.

            Jean’s mother does not want her sun marrying Marie especially after seeing what she has become. He promises his mother that he will not marry Marie that he only proposed to her out of weakness. Just as Jean said those words to his mother Marie had walked in and heard everything. That night Marie calls up Pierre that she will still go out to dinner with him. Jean is greatly upset by Marie overhearing his conversation with his mother. He loads his gun and finds Marie with Pierre at the nightclub. He has a note brought over to Marie that he wants to see her one last time but Pierre is the one who gets it. Pierre invites Jean over. Soon the two men are in a scuffle. Jean runs away and fatally shoots himself. His body is brought up to the apartment he shares with his mother. The mother is beyond upset that her son is dead. She takes his gun and goes to Marie’s place wanting to kill her. When the mother gets the apartment she learns that Marie has gone to see Jean’s body. Seeing Marie crying over her dead son softens the old lady’s heart because she sees that Marie really did love her son.

            Sometime later in a small village Marie and Jean’s mother live in a small farmhouse with kids Marie has taken in to care for. While on the road heading into town a car drives passed her. In the car is Pierre Revel and his friend. The friend asks whatever happened to Marie and Pierre responds that he does not know.

            A Woman of Paris is very good. Charlie Chaplin was not the star of this film. He has a very small cameo where he almost unrecognizable. Chaplin just wrote and directed A Woman of Paris. I think he did an excellent job. Chaplin was just an all-around brilliant filmmaker from his acting, to his writing, to his direction, and even to writing the music for the film. A Woman of
Paris does not have the greatest of stories but it is not boring or hard to sit through. I think what makes the story not boring or hard to sit through is because of Chaplin’s direction and the excellent acting by Edna Purviance and Adolphe Menjou. I would have become bored with the film very easily because of its dull plot with a kind of love triangle had it not been because of the kind of humility and sadness of it and also as I said because of the acting.  I definitely suggest watching A Woman of Paris especially if you like silent films and if you really like Charlie Chaplin. It is currently available to view in full on YouTube. 

Silent Sundays: The Idle Class (1921)

The world has always been concerned with class and high society. We all think people of high society have it all: the money, the fame, the glory, the power, and whatever the hell their hearts desire. But of course all of those things can only make them happy for so long. At the risk of sounding cheesy, without love all of those things do not matter. In The Idle Class we see that love, not money, is all anyone really wants in life.

            It is summer time and all the rich and idle head down to Miami for some sun. Edna (Edna Purviance) is one of those idle people who has come down for vacation. Her husband (Charlie Chaplin) is already at the hotel. From her telegram to him he is apparently a drunk who does not really pay attention to her. While trying to get down to the lobby to meet Edna the husband walks out of the room without his pants on. He gets back to his room just as Edna has walked in and ran to the bedroom. Edna sees him in his suit and hat in bed and thinks he is drunk from the night before. She writes him a letter that she is staying in another room for a while.

            Another person who arrived in Miami is The Tramp (also Charlie Chaplin) via the baggage compartment on the train. His first day around the resort he plays a round of golf. As in all of Chaplin’s films the round of golf gets crazy and silly when The Tramp makes a very big guy stumble and fall all over the place. He has to chase after the golf ball and he just happens to see Edna riding by on a horse and he falls madly in love with her.

            That afternoon Edna writes a letter to her husband hat if he attends the costume ball being held at the resort she will consider staying with him. The husband dresses up in a suit of armor complete with a helmet that of course gets stuck and he cannot get it off. Meanwhile The Tramp has gotten into a little mix up and he has to run away from a police officer. He manages to evade the officer and runs into the ball. He also just so happens to look like Edna’s husband and one of the resort employees tells him someone is waiting for him. The Tramp cannot believe that the woman he had seen riding a horse earlier in the day is waiting for him. He is even more thrilled to be sitting with her when she begins to hold his hand.

            Edna’s husband comes down to the party and starts attacking The Tramp and then gets kicked out. The big guy from golf earlier in the day is also at the party and it turns out he is Edna’s father but since he looks a lot like Edna’s husband the situation is alright until The Tramp says he and Edna are not married.

            Of course the truth comes to light that The Tramp is not really Edna’s husband and he is yet again all alone.

            I really, really liked The Idle Class. I thought it was really funny and I liked all the little jokes and gags Chaplin threw in it. What I really liked about it though was how all Edna wanted was for her husband to be better and love her. The Tramp is kind and I like how all he wanted was to be loved too. The Idle Class is one of the best Charlie Chaplin I have seen and I really hope you all go watch it as soon as you can. It is available to view in full on YouTube.