Charlie Chaplin remains one of the most important and talented legends of the silver screen, one of the few performers who made a smooth transition from silent film to talkies, one who wore his anti-fascist politics on his sleeve and brought them to the screen. While he still is remembered for his comedic work (the vast majority of his films fall into that category, even The Great Dictator), he knew and understood the importance of drama as a mode to storytelling.
Chaplin's second feature film, A Woman of Paris, received a rather tepid audience response when it was first released in 1923. Despite critical praise, it seems the public wasn't interested in a Chaplin film that wasn't centred on Chaplin (or more specifically, The Tramp). But Chaplin never fully let go of the film, and Criterion have released a new version based on the 1976 release, complete with a score composed by Chaplin. It marked a turning point not only in Chaplin's career, but for dramatic cinema of the time. A Woman of Paris tells the story of Marie St. Clair (Edna Purviance, Chaplin's longtime co-star), a woman who, due to ignorance and prejudice, finds a rather unusual life for herself.
Originally planning to elope from her backward French village with her love Jean (Carl Miller), Marie is caught in a society that still forces women to choose between being beholden to a parent or a husband. Her step-father locks her out of the house when he finds she has snuck out to make plans with Jean, and the sudden death of Jean's father sees Marie leaving for the city of lights alone, with nothing to her name,. But a year later, she has made something of a life for herself, as the kept mistress of the wealthy Pierre (Adolphe Menjou). While this still leaves her somewhat reliant on a man, at least she has a certain freedom. It is, however, a gilded cage. She has a chance encounter with Jean, who is now trying to make a living as an artist in Paris. It does not take much for their love to rekindle, but perhaps their lives are just too different.
While this was the pre-code era, it was still rare to see a woman with as much independence as Marie. She seems somewhat happy with her situation: a large apartment, a certain freedom of movement, fancy clothes, servants. If the people of her town saw her as a tramp, then why shouldn't she enjoy the life that comes with it? She's not even bothered if Pierre gets married; marrying for security is not what Marie wants. She wanted, and still wants, marriage and children, but beginning with love, and Jean. But it seems even Jean's love comes with a price, if he is unwilling to accept her as she is, and her past as it was, without judgement.
But more than this was the acting style that Chaplin developed with his performers. The first intertitle of the film, a message direct from Chaplin, informs his audience that not only will he not appear in the film*, but this is a drama, not a comedy. But Chaplin didn't want this to be melodrama, as was the common style of serious silent cinema of the day. His was a modernist approach; the performers did not exagerrate their gestures or body language, when they performed their lines, it was as if they were in the room only with each other. Chaplin was aiming for realism, as much as possible.
The result is a film unlike any other of the era, and acts as a bridge between the silent and sound era of dramatic cinema. This is still a Chaplin film, of course, so there are comedic moments - the gaiety of a party which features a naked woman (though not seen on camera), some humour in a restaurant kitchen that evokes a broad sensorial experience indicative of Chaplin's previous work. Chaplin builds the relationships and worlds in small but meaningful touches; Pierre finding his hankerchief in Marie's dresser to indicate their sexual relationship; her tossing of a pearl necklace onto the street, only to retrieve it moments later, showing how accustomed she now is to a certain lifestyle. Chaplin wanted a more mature film, to reflect perhaps on how he was growing as a filmmaker.
And the ending is somewhat in favour of a kind of liberation for women, Marie finding contentment with a mix of responsibility and independence, a community of equals rather than being beholden to a man. A Woman of Paris was somewhat revolutionary for its time, not only in how the story ended (not the pat happy ending of a comedy, not the complete morose of a melodrama), but in its presentation and new style of acting that was previously rare in silent cinema.
*Chaplin does make a sort of 'blink and you'll miss it' appearance as a train station porter.
Extras
The Criterion team have once again done an excellent job with the 4K digital restoration, the film looking arguably better than it would have on its first release, working with the 1976 re-release version, done with MK2 and Cineteca di Bologna, from a 35mm negative. The film itself has the score written by Chaplin himself for the re-release, which showcases his musical talent. There is also a score based on other music from Chaplin, created by Timothy Brock; this music was re-created from listening to recordings, as sheet music for it either could not be found or never existed.
David Robinson, who has written extensively on chaplin, provides an overview of how the film was inspired: first, from the personal story of Peggy Hopkins Joyce, who has a fling with Chaplin and seemed to go from marriage to marriage. Second, Chaplin wanted to give his frequent co-star Purviance the spotlight he thought she deserved. A video essay by Jeff Vance expands on these stories, and also highlights how the film was a critical success (but a box office flop), Vance looks to the characters and how they are portrayed, and Chaplin's directorial style, which consisted of a lack of a formal script, numerous takes until he got one that was just right.
Another documentary, "Chaplin Today", goes deeper into the story of Peggy Hopkins, how A Woman of Paris was banned in some parts of the United States for portraying a 'kept woman' in a positive light, and features interviews with filmmakers Michael Powell and Liv Ullmann. There is a short clip of an interview with the film's cinematographer Roland Totheroh, and some of the shots that were deleted by Chaplin for the 1967 re-release. There is some great footage of Chaplin on set directing, as well as an archival newsreel of him, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D.W. Griffith, establishing United Artists, a momumental moment in cinema history.
Pamela Hutchinson's excellent essay discusses Chaplin's inspirations for the film, both in the story and the style, his desire to move away from just being known for comedy, the various scandals surrounding the production, and its importance in cinema history.