This version of Camille features Nazimova as the courtesan and Valentino as her young lover, Armand. It certainly makes for an excellent film and deserves to be viewed as an earlier rendition of the story that features a mature star opposite a rising one. I think it holds its own space next to the Garbo version, and both benefit by the comparison.Valentino is subtle and intense, he gives a memorable performance and his presence is electric. He is much more expressive than Robert Taylor in the Garbo version. Nazimova must have been aware of his scenic power, as she chose to have him absent in the last scene, so we could concentrate on her death which was very well done. In general Nazimova tends to be over the top in the crowd scenes, but her solos or scenes with Valentino reveal subtlety and add depth to the interpretation. She is very convincing for example, in establishing the disease as a major feature in her character from the very beginning. The story takes place in the present then 1920's and not in the 1840's. The designs for sets and dresses by Natasha Rambova are exquisite. We first see Camille at the top of a grand staircase in what we assume is the Opera, surrounded by admirers and wearing a grand gown, and wild hairstyle. The party at her house afterward is perfect in the decor and design, particularly the way we can see into her boudoir from the salon. The country scenes were beautiful as were the flashbacks into the story of Manon Lescaut, the book that is a gift from Armand, and which he reads to her in their idyllic moments, and that she will hold on to till the very end. It relates a similar life to hers in the 18th century, and we understand her predicament to be a recurring theme, as old and human as society itself. The interior scenes in the country however were too spartan and middle-class in style. And her dresses are also too plain. We find it hard to believe Marguerite could have spend so much and get so little. It does seem a perfect environment though, for Armand's conventional and small- minded father, who looks like Napoleon III in his commanding incarnation of bourgeois morality.The gambling scene that marks her re-entry into her old life is one of the best in the film. The communication between Marguerite and Armand from across the room is as intense as if they were holding each other close. It must be seen to be understood, as no words can accurately describe the gamut of feelings rushing by the actors, it is precisely at these moments that we understand the art of the silent era, and Norma Desmond's comment in "Sunset Boulevard" :"We didn't need words, we had faces".

Camille (1921) ** 1/2 (out of 4) I believe this was the ninth version of the classic story to be told but it alas, the film one I've seen so I can't compare it to any of the previous silent ones or the Garbo version, which most people feel is the best. The film tells the story of Marguerite Gautier (Alla Nazimova), a celebrated "free girl" who isn't too happy with her life but doesn't plan on changing it until she meets a man () who might offer her true love. This is a rather hit and miss film that offers a few good moments but also some pretty weak ones. On the technical side the film seems to be well made with some nice cinematography as well as some great visuals, although they can't compete against what Germany was doing at the time. Nazimova isn't well known today but I found her performance just so-so. Her final scenes are extremely well acted but there were times in the film when I thought she was just having a rant that was caught on camera and the director left it in. Valentino on the other hand is in fine form and delivers a pretty good performance as the man weakened by love. His sorrow scenes are handled very well and are the highlights of the film. I think the biggest problem with the film is its 70-minute running time, which seems too short to tell this story. The scenes all seem as if they are rushed or cut down to have the shorter runtime.

The Dark SwanSaturday, July 14, 5:45 p. m., The Castro, San FranciscoForbidden love, betrayal and tragic self-sacrifice resonate throughout Alexandre Dumas' popular novel La Dame aux camélias, published in 1848. The story of a young aristocrat, who falls in love with a courtesan, the "Daughter of Chance," has appeared in a multitude of adaptations on the dramatic stage, in film and opera. Notable versions include Verdi's La Traviata and a popular English stage adaptation Camille, the subject of many films, first in 1907 and most recently in 1980.Exotic Russian actress Alla Nazimova developed and starred in this 1921 Metro Pictures production with Rudolph Valentino. A student of the great Stanislavsky, Nazimova first appeared on Broadway in 1906, introducing Ibsen and Chekhov to the American theater while starring in The Cherry Orchard, Hedda Gabler, A Doll's House and many others. Her immense popularity led to a film career, beginning with War Brides (1916) for Selznick Corporation, followed by a succession of financially lucrative films at Metro. During this period Nazimova became an influential figure within the developing 'Café Society' of actors, producers, writers and technicians who lived and socialized in the rolling hills above Hollywood.Nazimova's Camille showcased the talents of brilliant young scenarist June Mathis and production designer Natacha Rambova, who created unique, unconventional art deco sets and costumes for the film. Handsome young Italian Rudolph Valentino was cast as Armand, Camille's lover, following his work in Rex Ingram's The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and The Conquering Power, both scripted by Mathis. The wave of intense popularity that followed Valentino for the rest of his abbreviated life began in 1921. Nazimova brought a dark elegance and restrained intensity to a character previously identified as cheerfully compliant.While Nazimova came to film late, forty-two when Camille was released, and the appreciation of her talent was never fully realized on film, she did exert a planetary influence on many younger performers. Her smoldering, feline sexuality is visible in the thin veneer of sophistication and moody avoidance masking Mae Murray's utter panic in The Merry Widow (1925), and Carole Lombard's haughty, posturing, indifference in Howard Hawk's Twentieth Century (1934).

For more than two decades I have been a journalist, with extensive experience writing about historic Hollywood. Along the way, I have read much about this movie: about how horrible it was, the critical reception (quite unpleasant), how it ruined careers, etc.Last night I finally had the chance to see the beautifully restored version on Turner Classic Movies.I cannot speak for the world of 1921 (being much too young, of course), but this movie must rank up there with one of the top ten films of the silent era. The acting, while not perfect, exhibits little of the hamminess and showiness that earmarks the typical 1920s silent. Nazimova is spectacular in her performance of the dying woman of ill repute. The design elements are tremendous -- especially considering how unique they were in their time. Beautifully realized sets, costumes, props, etc.Other versions of this movie have been made before and since, but this version far outweighs the more familiar version with GG (next to whose photograph the word "hamminess" appears in the dictionary).The only downside to this otherwise marvelous film is the appearance by Valentino -- whose popularity must have been a product of the times, as I still cannot fathom how he ever got more than a bit part in a Hollywood film.Of special note are the French flashbacks that pop up throughout the film. They bring a special poignance to the finale that is especially touching.