Paris (film)

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Movie
Original title Paris
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1926
length 67 minutes
Rod
Director Edmund Goulding
script Edmund Goulding
production MGM
camera John Arnold
cut Arthur Johns
occupation

Paris is a 1926 American silent film starring Joan Crawford and directed by Edmund Goulding . The film marked Joan Crawford's breakthrough as Leading Lady . The studio hoped to build on the success of Sally, Irene and Mary from the previous year with the renewed collaboration between Goulding and Crawford .

action

Jerry is a rich young American in Paris. One day he meets The Girl , who appears as a dancer, and falls in love with her. The Girl is unhappy with her lover, The Cat , a morbidly jealous egomaniac and partner of the girl when they perform together. Both work in a night club and perform the Apache dance there. In a fit of frenzy, The Cat stabs Jerry down during an appearance. The Girl nurses Jerry back to health and they both fall in love. In the end, the young woman decides to stay with her previous lover.

background

Joan Crawford was discovered as a showgirl under her maiden name Lucille Le Sueur by a talent scout who brokered a seven-month film contract with the newly founded film company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer . Since her arrival in January 1925, she had first landed extra roles through iron discipline and the development of a durable network. Within a few weeks, the studio managers discovered their potential and prompted the actress to adopt the stage name Joan Crawford. A supporting role alongside Jackie Coogan in Old Clothes brought her the attention of aspiring director Edmund Goulding , who eventually hired Crawford to play the tragic Irene in the film adaptation of the hit Broadway show Sally, Irene and Mary . The success of the film helped Crawford gain important roles in some of the studio's less demanding films, which nurtured her talent and gave her the opportunity to develop her acting skills. In Paris , she has already taken on the role of the leading lady and was announced on an equal footing with the official star Charles Ray. Crawford's rapid rise within twelve months from an extra to a hopeful young actress with the potential for a future star was expressly noted by the trade press in the reviews of Paris . However, the critics also criticized Crawford's lack of dramatic talent.

Paris gives the audience an idealized idea of ​​the city as a place of sin, morally questionable forms of open coexistence between the sexes and permissive sexuality. The Apache dance in particular was a popular metaphor for unbridled passion and wild romance in the 1920s. Most of the dances were choreographed short stories that dealt with the violent relationship between the dancers and included stylized violence, abuse and even murder. In 1934 an Apache dance was performed in the Al Jolson musical Wonder Bar , in which the dancer actually kills her partner in the end. The scenes in which the girl and the cat perform such an Apache dance allowed Crawford to demonstrate her talent as a dancer. With its denial of a happy ending, Paris is unusual for the films of the time. As in Sally, Irene and Mary , the Crawford character has no luck with the men and ends more or less tragically.

The main actor Charles Ray had long passed the zenith of his popularity in 1926. At the beginning of the decade he was well known for his portrayals of somewhat naive young men who come from the countryside to the city to endure all kinds of embarrassing situations. The attempt to set up his own production company like Richard Barthelmess ended in financial disaster in 1925 and Ray, as a poorly paid employee of MGM, had to reduce debt. The attempt to start a comeback with Paris failed. Crawford later reported how desperate and discouraged Ray was during filming. The sets were designed by Romaine de Tirtoff Erté , who was then working for MGM.

A few decades later, Joan Crawford was no longer very impressed with her performance, as she confessed to Roy Newquist:

"I did a lousy job and exaggerated like an idiot."

Theatrical release

At $ 198,000 to manufacture, it was an average expensive production by MGM standards. He made a small sum of $ 275,000 in the US. With overseas revenues of $ 92,000 and a cumulative total income of $ 367,000, the studio was only able to realize a very small profit of $ 33,000 in the end.

Reviews

The critics didn't like the film.

Photoplay magazine criticized the lack of a happy ending:

“If you leave close to the end, you will think the film is an exciting love story. Edmund Goulding, who wrote and directed the film, makes a mistake when he forgets a happy ending. The girl, wonderfully played by Joan Crawford, should have married the young man, portrayed by Charles Ray in an amusing and believable manner. Instead, she remains true to her sadistic Apache Douglas Gilmore. Good, but not until the end. "

"Ski" in Variety was also not impressed and donated Joan Crawford a somewhat poisoned praise, especially since as an extra she had to fill in for Shearer as a double several times:

“Clearly just a cinematic idea of ​​Paris and what can happen to a rich young American there. The subject is basically light comedy, and occasionally it gets hit, but overall it feels a bit stupid. Rumors of Miss Crawford among movie fans want her to be seen as a rising talent. In any case, she is gorgeous to look at (she resembles Norma Shearer in profile). But Miss Crawford definitely has to show more talent to deserve this advance praise. Yes, it is good, but too much praise is seldom good. "

literature

  • Roy Newquist (Ed.): Conversations with Joan Crawford. Citadel Press, Secaucus (New Jersey) 1980, ISBN 0-8065-0720-9 .
  • Alexander Walker: Joan Crawford. The Ultimate Star. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London 1983, ISBN 0-297-78216-9 .
  • Lawrence J. Quirk : The Complete Films of Joan Crawford. Citadel Press, Secaucus (New Jersey) 1988, ISBN 0-8065-1078-1 .
  • Lawrence J. Quirk, William Schoell: Joan Crawford. The Essential Biography. University Press, Lexington (Kentucky) 2002, ISBN 0-8131-2254-6 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ I did a lousy job, overacting like a simpleton.
  2. ↑ If you leave before the final reel, you will find this an absorbing tale of love. Edmund Goulding, who wrote and directed it, slipped badly when he refused the happy ending. The girl, exquisitely played by Joan Crawford, should have married the young man about Paris night life, whom Charles Ray makes amusing and believable. Instead, she remains faithful to her sadistic apache, Douglas Gilmore. Good, but not to the last shot.
  3. ↑ Strictly a 'movie' idea of ​​Paris, its apaches, and what can happen to a wealthy American youth in that environment. The objective is light comedy, occasionally reached, but it's all a bit silly. Advance information on Miss Crawford among the 'picture mob' had her strongly heralded as a 'comer.' Undoubtedly a 'looker' (when profiled she can double for Norma Shearer in a closeup), Miss Crawford will nevertheless have to show more talent than in this instance to make that billing entirely unanimous. Good, yes, but perhaps suffering from the pre-billing that always handicaps.