A Woman of Paris
Upcoming Air Date Monday, September 1st
A Woman of Paris
1923 - 1hr 22min
Written & Directed by: Charles Chaplin
Starring: Edna Purviance, Charles Geldert, Carl Miller
Why is it worth watching?
A Woman of Paris is a unique film in Charlie Chaplin’s career because it’s not what people expected from him at all. For starters, it’s not a comedy, and Chaplin doesn’t even star in it; he only makes a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance as a train station porter. Instead, the film is a serious romantic drama, which surprised a lot of people at the time who were used to seeing him in his usual lovable Tramp role.
One of the main reasons Chaplin made this film was to give his longtime co-star Edna Purviance a chance to shine in a more serious, dramatic role. She plays the lead character, and her performance was well received. Unfortunately, audiences back then were expecting something more in line with Chaplin’s comedies, so the film didn’t do well at the box office.
Even though it wasn’t a hit at the time, A Woman of Paris turned out to be incredibly influential. Chaplin used a much more subtle and natural style of storytelling than was typical for silent films. Instead of exaggerated acting and obvious plot points, he let the emotions play out more quietly and left room for the audience to figure things out on their own. That kind of filmmaking inspired a lot of directors who came after him.
Over the years, A Woman of Paris has gotten a lot more appreciation than it did when it premiered. Today, it’s seen as a groundbreaking drama and a great example of Chaplin’s talent as a director, proving he could do more than just comedy.
The story itself was also bold for its time. It deals with themes like love, heartbreak, social class, and the choices women must make when they’re caught between independence and societal expectations. It’s thoughtful and emotionally layered in a way that really stands out, especially considering how early it came in film history.
Fans of Chaplin will recognize his themes of class divisions and the attitudes of the wealthy elite towards the lower class. In his films, the wealthy are often portrayed as callous or indifferent to the struggles of others. The noble character will often be poor, or the individual who shuns wealth to live a simpler life. It was his outspoken criticism of capitalism, support for workers' rights, and opposition to fascism and war which led to Chaplin being accused of communist sympathies and barred from re-entering the US in 1952.
Why We're Able To Show it
When A Woman of Paris was released in 1923, U.S. copyright law gave films a protection period of 28 years. After that, the copyright owner had to renew it in the 28th year to get another 28 years of protection.
For A Woman of Paris, that renewal would’ve been due in 1951. But like a lot of older films, the copyright wasn’t renewed; possibly because the film wasn’t a commercial hit, or maybe it just got overlooked. Either way, because no one filed the renewal paperwork, it automatically entered the public domain.
So now, anyone can show it, distribute it, or even remix it without needing permission or paying royalties. A big win for both Bootleg Cinema, and you!
It’s kind of ironic, A Woman of Paris wasn’t appreciated much when it first came out, but falling into the public domain helped it get rediscovered later as one of Chaplin’s most thoughtful and influential works.