Camille (1926 feature film)

Camille is a 1926 American silent film based on the play adaptation of La Dame aux Camélias (The Lady of the Camellias) by Alexandre Dumas, fils, first published in French as a novel in 1848 and as a play in 1852. Adapted by Fred de Gresac, George Marion Jr., Olga Printzlau, and Chandler Sprague, Camille was a directed by Fred Niblo and starred Norma Talmadge as Camille and Gilbert Roland as her lover, Armand. It was produced by the Norma Talmadge Film Corporation and released by First National Pictures. The film's score was composed by William Axt.^[1][2]

Camille
Lobby poster
Directed by	Fred Niblo
Written by	Fred de Gresac (adaptation) Olga Printzlau (scenario) Chandler Sprague (scenario) George Marion, Jr. (intertitles)
Based on	La Dame aux Camélias 1848 novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils
Produced by	Norma Talmadge Joseph Schenck
Starring	Norma Talmadge Gilbert Roland Lilyan Tashman
Cinematography	Oliver Marsh
Music by	William Axt David Mendoza Major Edward Bowes
Distributed by	First National Pictures
Release date	December 18, 1926 (1926-12-18)
Running time	108 minutes
Country	United States
Languages	Silent English intertitles

Plot summary

Marguerite Gautier (Norma Talmadge), known as "Camille" due to her fondness for camellia flowers, is a beautiful and popular courtesan in 1840s Paris. Despite her glamorous lifestyle supported by wealthy patrons, including the aging Baron de Varville (Harvey Clark) and the controlling Count de Varville (Oscar Beregi, Sr.), Marguerite suffers from tuberculosis and leads an empty existence beneath her façade of gaiety.

At a theater performance, Marguerite meets Armand Duval (Gilbert Roland), a young man from a respectable family who falls deeply in love with her. Unlike her other admirers, Armand offers genuine affection rather than merely seeking her company as a status symbol. Initially hesitant to abandon her luxurious lifestyle and skeptical of true love, Marguerite eventually returns Armand's feelings and the two begin a passionate romance.

Encouraged by her friend Prudence (Rose Dione), Marguerite abandons her life as a courtesan and moves with Armand to a peaceful country house outside Paris. For a brief period, they experience true happiness away from the corruption of Parisian high society. However, their idyllic existence is shattered when Armand's father (Maurice Costello) secretly visits Marguerite. He pleads with her to end the relationship, arguing that her notorious reputation will destroy his son's future and bring shame to their family.

Out of selfless love for Armand, Marguerite agrees to the painful sacrifice. Without revealing the true reason, she abruptly leaves Armand and returns to Paris, resuming her former life with the Count de Varville. A heartbroken and bitter Armand, believing Marguerite has betrayed him for wealth and luxury, publicly humiliates her at a gambling party by throwing money at her.

As her illness worsens, Marguerite becomes increasingly isolated. Her fair-weather friends, including the opportunistic Olympe (Lilyan Tashman), abandon her as her beauty fades and her finances dwindle. In the film's poignant conclusion, Armand discovers the truth about Marguerite's sacrifice and rushes to her side, but arrives only in time for a brief reconciliation before she dies in his arms, finding peace in the knowledge that her love was understood at last.

Cast

• Norma Talmadge – Marguerite Gautier, Camille
• Gilbert Roland – Armand
• Lilyan Tashman – Olympe
• Rose Dione – Prudence
• Oscar Beregi, Sr. – Count de Varville
• Harvey Clark – The Baron
• Helen Jerome Eddy – Camille's maid
• Alec B. Francis – the Duke
• Albert Conti – Henri
• Michael Visaroff – Camille's Father
• Evelyn Selbie – Camille's Mother
• Etta Lee – Mataloti
• Maurice Costello – Armand's father

Preservation status

An incomplete 35mm positive print exists in the Raymond Rohauer collection of the Cohen Media Group, according to silentera.com.^[2]