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

Director:

Charles Chaplin

Writer:

Charles Chaplin (writer)

Release Date:

25 February 1924 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Marie St. Clair believes she has been jilted by her artist fiance Jean when he fails to meet her at the railway station...

Plot Keywords:

Jealousy | Apartment | Boyfriend Girlfriend Relationship | Telephone | Railroad Station

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Edna Purviance	...	Marie St. Clair
Clarence Geldart	...	Marie's 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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Nellie Bly Baker	...	Masseuse (uncredited)
Henry Bergman	...	Head Waiter (uncredited)
Charles Chaplin	...	Porter (uncredited)
Frank Coghlan Jr.	...	Boy (uncredited)
Harry d'Abbadie d'Arrast	...	Man in nightclub (uncredited)
Stella De Lanti	...	Revel's Fiancée (unconfirmed) (uncredited)
Jean de Limur	...	Man in nightclub (uncredited)
Charles Farrell	...	Man dancing in nightclub (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Mannequin (uncredited)
Karl Gutman	...	Conductor (uncredited)
James A. Marcus	...	Tramp (uncredited)
Harry Northrup	...	Revel's secretary (uncredited)
Granville Redmond	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Philip Sleeman	...	Gigolo (uncredited)
Arthur Stibolt	...	Cook (uncredited)
A. Edward Sutherland	...	Cook (uncredited)
Wilhelm von Brincken	...	Restaurant Patron (uncredited)

Directed by
Charles Chaplin

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Charles Chaplin		writer

Produced by
Charles Chaplin	....	producer

Original Music by
Charles Chaplin		(1976)

Cinematography by
Roland Totheroh
Jack Wilson		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
Monta Bell
Charles Chaplin		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Arthur Stibolt

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
A. Edward Sutherland	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Jack Wilson	....	second camera operator (uncredited)

Music Department
Eric James	....	musical collaboration (1976 version)
Eric Rogers	....	conductor (1976 score)
Eric Rogers	....	orchestrator (1976 score)

Transportation Department
Toraichi Kono	....	driver: Mr. Chaplin (uncredited)

Other crew
Harry d'Abbadie d'Arrast	....	researcher
Jean de Limur	....	researcher
Monta Bell	....	literary editor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Charles Chaplin Productions
• Regent

Distributors

• MK2 Diffusion (2001) (worldwide) (all media)
• United Artists (1923) (USA) (theatrical)
• Allied Artists (1923) (UK) (theatrical)
• Cinegate Ltd. (1978) (UK) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Cinal S.A. (1980) (Spain) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Fox Video (1992) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (2004) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Continental Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (????) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Mujer de París, Una (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
Donna di Parigi, La (Italy) [it]
Frau in Paris, Eine (Germany) (TV title) [de]
Kvinna i Paris, En (Sweden) [sv]
Nächte einer schönen Frau, Die (Germany) [de]
Nainen Pariisissa (Finland) [fi]
Opinião Pública (Portugal) [pt]
Opinion publique, L' (France) [fr]
Pariser Maitressen (Austria) [de]

Runtime:

84 min | USA:93 min (original version)

Country:

USA

Language:

None

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (1978 re-release) | Silent

Certification:

Germany:o.Al. | Argentina:Atp | Spain:T | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (re-rating)

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Charles Chaplin Productions

Trivia:

Michael Powell said in a 1977 interview that the film had such an impact on him that he'd carried it with him throughout his career. Its themes are visible in various Powell films, and the amazing thing is that, from 1923-1976, he had only seen the film once.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Souls for Sale (1923)

Underrated Classic of 1920s Cinema

A Woman of Paris, perhaps the least famous of all Charlie Chaplin's films is a wonderfully produced and superbly directed drama. Most people say that A Woman of Paris sucks and that its a crap movie. But people fail to realise that this is the movie that kicked off 1920s melodramas. Of course silent cinema had produced such influential films as D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation and Robert Wiene's The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, A Woman of Paris was at the time the most influential of any American film because it was for the first time a so-called "Realistic" movie where life along with its joys and miseries was presented in full throttle. Renowned filmmakers such as Martin Scorcese and Liv Ullman praise the film and list it as one of the greats of silent cinema and i would have to agree. Although i am a huge fan of Charlie Chaplin, Modern Times (1936) happens to be my favourite movie of all time but i don't like A Woman of Paris because its made by Chaplin, when I watch it i get so attached that i tend to forget who made it but when you realise that this film was written, produced and directed by Chaplin, it makes wonder wow, what a man. When someone asks me what I think are the most important films or most influential of the 20th Century- I say The Birth of a Nation, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars, Modern Times, but although A Woman of Paris is probably no where near as good as these titles that i've just listed, it still holds its place as one of the most important films in the early years of cinema. Chaplin re-released the film which a score composed by himself in 1976 but just as in 1923, the film was not praised accordingly, as in- in 1923 the public stayed away from the film because Chaplin was not in it. Historian David Robinson has stated that the film would've probably been more successful if Chaplin would've taken his name off. Moreover, Chaplin had made the film because he wanted to stay behind the camera like what Clint Eastwood is doing nowadays and direct a drama but Chaplin also made it to make his longtime leading lady Edna Purviance into a megastar but this never happened. Instead the co-star of A Woman of Paris, Adolphe Menjou was launched into superstardom after the film's release and subsequently began to star in films that were similar to A Woman of Paris in style and film-making rhythm. Directors such as Ernst Lubitsch were also hugely influenced by the film and I think this film is a must see by one of the masters of cinema. This film still fascinates and captivates-even for a 17-year old such as myself. If you want to get into Chaplin don't see it but if you're familiar with such movies like City Lights, Modern Times, The Great Dictator and particularly Monsieur Verdoux then this is a must see!