A Woman of Paris: A Drama of Fate (1923)

A kept woman runs into her former fiancé and finds herself torn between love and comfort.

Director:

Charles Chaplin

Writer:

Charles Chaplin

Stars:

Edna Purviance, Clarence Geldart, Carl Miller

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Edna Purviance	...	Marie St. Clair
Clarence Geldart	...	Marie's Step-Father (as Clarence Geldert)
Carl Miller	...	Jean Millet
Lydia Knott	...	Jean's Mother
Charles K. French	...	Jean's Father (as Charles French)
Adolphe Menjou	...	Pierre Revel
Betty Morrissey	...	Fifi
Malvina Polo	...	Paulette

Storyline

Marie St. Clair believes she has been jilted by her artist fiance Jean when he fails to meet her at the railway station. She goes off to Paris alone. A year later, mistress of wealthy Pierre Revel, she meets Jean again. Misinterpreting events she bounces back and forth between apparent security and true love.

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Plot Keywords:

female protagonist | apartment | telephone | suicide | railroad station | 

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Taglines:

"You Wouldn't Understand" said the erstwhile village girl whom fate has turned into a woman of Paris when the richest bachelor in the world's gayest city pointed to her glittering gems, asking, "What more do you want? You have everything." (Print Ad- Sunday Chronicle, ((Paterson, NJ)) 2 March 1924)

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 November 1923 (USA)

Also Known As:

Una mujer de París

Filming Locations:

Chaplin Studios - 1416 N. La Brea Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$351,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$387,391, 31 December 1924

Company Credits

Production Co:

Charles Chaplin Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min 78 min (1976 release)

Sound Mix:

Mono (1978 re-release) Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

First of only two films Charles Chaplin directed in which he did not take a starring role. The second was A Countess from Hong Kong (1967).

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Quotes

Pierre Revel: The trouble is you don't know what you do want!
Marie St. Clair: I want a real home, babies, and a man's respect.

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Alternate Versions

During 1976, Chaplin was preparing a reissue of A Woman of Paris/Sunnyside but died before completion. The project was completed after his death, and the films were reissued in the United States by Kino International Corp. in 1978. This version, however, dispensed with an opening subtitle, as well as a few brief insert shots.

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Connections

Referenced in Souls for Sale (1923)

User Reviews

An excellent drama from the first genius of Cinema

A Woman Of Paris was an acclaimed success with the critics when it was Originally released on 1st October 1923. However, the audience despised it as they wanted to see Charlie Chaplin the tramp starring in a film not a film directed by Chaplin in which he does not appear (albeit in a small cameo role). When i first saw the film on BBC2 around Christmas 1998 i thought Chaplin had a starring role so was naturally disappointed when i found out this wasn't the case. However, since then i have become a huge fan of Chaplin and all his work so now I think this film is rated among Chaplin's best features. His musical score composed in 1976 with Eric Rogers was Chaplin's last ever work in his film career which spanned 62 years. By 1976 Chaplin was very frail and struggled to communicate so the fact that he could compose the music for a near 80 minute film is amazing and the fact that the music score is as good as any of his other films is also astonishing. Charles Chaplin was a true genius of Cinema and A Woman Of Paris is an excellent example of Chaplin as director, writer and composer.