Camille 2000 (1969)

Director:

Radley Metzger

Writers:

Michael DeForrest (screenplay)
Alexandre Dumas fils (inspired by "La dame aux camélias" by)

Release Date:

13 November 1975 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

The "now" child

Plot:

Marguerite, a beautiful woman of affairs, falls for the young and promising Armand, but sacrifices her...

Plot Keywords:

Experimental Film | Erotica | Group Sex | Prostitution | Single Engine Airplane

Cast

Danièle Gaubert	...	Marguerite Gautier
Nino Castelnuovo	...	Armand Duval
Eleonora Rossi Drago	...	Prudence (as Eleonora Rossi-Drago)
Roberto Bisacco	...	Gastion
Massimo Serato	...	Armand's father
Silvana Venturelli	...	Olympe
Zachery Adams	...	Gody
Dominique Badou	...	Marguerite's Friend #1
Peter Chatel	...	Marguerite's Friend #2
Virginia Rodin	...	Marguerite's Friend #3 (as Virginie Rodin)
Enzo Fiermonte	...	Marguerite's Friend #4
Graziella Galvani	...	Marguerite's Friend #5
Philippe Forquet	...	De Varville
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Linda Morand	...	Simone (uncredited)

Directed by
Radley Metzger

Writing credits
Michael DeForrest		(screenplay)
Alexandre Dumas fils		(inspired by "La dame aux camélias" by)

Produced by
Radley Metzger	....	producer

Original Music by
Piero Piccioni

Cinematography by
Ennio Guarnieri

Film Editing by
Amedeo Salfa

Costume Design by
Enrico Sabbatini

Stunts
Enzo Musumeci Greco	....	master or arms

Camera and Electrical Department
Emilio Loffredo	....	assistant camera
Sergio Salvati	....	assistant camera
Arturo Zavattini	....	camera operator

Editorial Department
Humphrey Wood	....	supervising editor (as Humphrey Hinshelwood)

Production Companies

• Spear Productions

Distributors

• Audubon Films (USA) (dubbed)
• Empire Films Ltd. (Canada) (dubbed)
• First Run Features (USA)
• Image Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Salvation Films (2006) (UK) (DVD) (as Jezebel)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• e-m-s the DVD-Company (2005) (Germany) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"Forbidden Love" - Philippines (English title)

Runtime:

USA:115 min | USA:130 min (DVD extended cut)

Country:

Italy

Language:

English

Color:

Color (3-strip Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:X | Germany:16 | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Australia:M | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Casina Valadier, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Spear Productions

Movie Connections:

Featured in Grindhouse Universe (2008) (V)

Deeply moving and true to Dumas' masterpiece

Radley Metzger is not to everybody's taste but this is less extravagant than others of his and avoids the most extreme excesses. Bringing the classic Dumas story up to date was a highly (over?) ambitious task, trying to project the characters and their interactions over such a time span, but it works remarkably well. The futuristic setting looks rather dated now, but it must have been quite convincing at the time as a portrayal of a fin-de-siècle jet-set world and does not adversely the main theme.

The chemistry between principals is almost tangible, and most of all the way their emotions are handled by the their eye-expressions in the "jail party" scene. Several supporting characters are outstanding - the malevolent Baron de Varville and the manipulative Olympe provide weight, while seemingly carefree Gaston provide much needed balance.

One trick I would have expected from Metzger given his penchant for bizarre symbolism was to have made the opening scene a production of "la Traviata". But he showed his true talent in the closing moments.

Best, Metzger remains true to the original story, modifying only as dictated by the modern context and making the translation with skill and sensitivity. From beneath the superficiality and cynicism, a deeply moving film emerges.