Left to leave her hometown without her partner, a woman moves toward a major city center, finds herself a rich lover who allows her to enjoy the finer things in life, until two things occur requiring her to reconsider her life: said lover is set to be married to someone else and her old partner arrives in town. This could be any number of different romantic tales that get released any month of any year, but, specifically, this boils down the narrative of the Charlie Chaplin-written/directed, Edna Purviance-starring A Woman of Paris, initially released in 1923 to critical acclaim and general audience derision. Now, however, it is given a new life via The Criterion Collection with a new 4K HD digital restoration and a collection of new and archived materials as the ninth of Chaplin’s (The Kid; The Pilgrim) films added to Criterion.
L-R: Carl Miller as Jean Millet and Edna Purviance as Marie St. Clair in A WOMAN OF PARIS. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
The night before Marie (Purviance) is set to leave her hometown for Paris with her fiancé Jean Millet (Carl Miller), she’s locked out of her home and denied a night’s stay at his family’s home, resulting in the pair deciding to leave that night. But when tragedy strikes, Marie leaves on her own, determined to start over and build something wonderful. A year later, Marie is a courtesan, connected specifically to wealthy womanizing Pierre Revel (Adolphe Menjou), living her best life in her Parisan apartment (complete with staff) and nights out on the town to the best restaurants. Around the time that Marie discovers that Pierre plans to marry, she bumps into Jean, who’s living with his mother (Lydia Knott), and the two reconnect. All the things Marie has wanted are right before her, but she has to choose which life she wants.
Edna Purviance as Marie St. Clair in A WOMAN OF PARIS. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
There is a broad misconception that films prior to the modern era are sexless, boring, and conservative in nature. That’s not to suggest or imply that there aren’t films that fit that description, but to apply it across the board is not only ignorant, it’s wrong. Chaplin’s A Woman of Paris, also known as A Woman of Paris: A Drama of Fate, is incredibly progressive for a number of reasons beyond the fact that it centers a woman as a lead, makes the act of sex transactional, doesn’t make the woman less-than for utilizing these transactions, and comes to a resolution in which the lead chooses herself over being connected to one of two lesser men. That’s what’s on the surface, the obvious stuff, but when you look at some of the details within Chaplin’s film, when you notice the types of parties we see thrown by the rich and less rich, the debauchery on display, including focusing on a woman putting on a monocle to get a better view of a woman being stripped at one such party, there’s a statement being made about the type of world that Marie exists within. Over 100 years ago, Chaplin made a movie about a woman living her life on her terms, aided by a man who could provide for her in exchange for physical access, but it was a choice she makes. Even the men are giving specific definition by Chaplin with the rich man being talented and charming, even straight-forward with his communication and expectation to the point of lacking jealously compared to his “opposition” who’s the kind of mama’s boy that’s easily manipulated, lies, and would absolutely ruin the love he seeks to touch. The supposed villain. Pierre. is a very modern man and would be described in the positive by today’s standards, but it’s his presumptive nature that Marie will return to him always (even when he replaces her for a night with one of Marie’s friends) that makes him a right bastard. How can one look backward on such a film and think it reductive or less-than when films of today are considered bold for speaking on or centering sex workers? (Looking at you, 2025 Oscar winner Anora (2024)). The point, if you will, is that just because a movie was released in the 1920s and is a silent picture doesn’t mean it doesn’t have resonance today.
If this is your cup of tea, the edition provided by Criterion is going to delight you.
First of all, to be clear, this is a 4K HD digital restoration, which means your disc options are either a Blu-ray or DVD edition. No 4K UHD disc, no HDR treatment. At the top of the film information on the restoration is provided (ahead of the filmmaker’s note denoting the change in tone audiences may expect from a Chaplin film) explaining the complex process used to create the version we’re seeing on this edition which includes a second-generation full-frame dupe negative and sound elements from the original 35 mm magnetic tracks and how this restoration was completed in 2019 as part of the Chaplin Project by the Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna at L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory. All of this to say that this 4K digital restoration required the reconstitution of parts from different sources to create and it comes together beautifully. There’re no apparent or distracting sound or visual issues to distract from the film and, for those who are less used to the filmmaking style of the time, once acclimated, any visual jumps are ignored as par for the course.
L-R: Adolphe Menjou as Pierre Revel and Edna Purviance as Marie St. Clair in A WOMAN OF PARIS. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
For those who are curious to hear the film differently, this edition also includes the 2005 score created by conductor Timothy Brock using music that Chaplin himself composed. Though not tested for this review, it’s a fun addition for those who are Chaplin fans and seek out variations on his work.
In terms of the bonus features, the bulk are archival materials including the aforementioned 2005 alternative score option and three on-disc videos exploring various aspects of the making of the film (David Robinson’s “Introduction” being a great way for novices to begin their journey into the film, while “Archive Commentary: About ‘A Woman of Paris’” will speak more to those looking to understand how the film was stored ahead of the restoration) and even portions of an audio interview with Chaplin Studios cinematographer Roland Totheroh. For folks who are new to Chaplin’s work and want to learn more about the process of making A Woman of Paris or who are just seeking some historical context, the sole new material is a video essay from Chaplin biographer Jeffrey Vance titled “A Serious Drama” not only provides tidbits on the technical portion of making the film (such as how they used cardboard to simulate a train station), but details on Chaplin’s hopes for frequent production partner Purviance (The Kid; Limelight) headed into the project, and even his love life as influence. One fun bit here is the rare behind the scenes footage of Chaplin directing a scene on set, both in moving and still footage.
L-R: Carl Miller as Jean Millet and Edna Purviance as Marie St. Clair in A WOMAN OF PARIS. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
The physical packaging follows the standard Criterion format with a sturdy plastic case and liner (art by Thomas Pittides) with a lone disc inside. Despite the edition being a singular disc in either Blu-ray or DVD formats, the Blu-ray is still labeled as “Blu-ray” with the art on the disc reminiscent of a golden bauble. With the case being clear plastic, the reverse of the liner depicts a scene from the film in which Marie stands against a starry backdrop. The liner, accompanied by a brand-new essay from critic Pamela Hutchinson and a brief portion of Brock’s own notes on the 2005 score, has the usual release information and acknowledgements and is provided not in typical liner fashion but as the backside of a poster depicting a larger version of Pittides’s cover art.
Edna Purviance as Marie St. Clair in A WOMAN OF PARIS. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
Admittedly, the few Chaplin films I’ve seen have not always worked for me. City Lights (1931) is fantastic, an absolute charmer, and Monsieur Verdoux (1947) was a struggle to get into. Perhaps because of the current political climate in the United States, The Great Dictator (1940) didn’t so much amuse in its sartorial lambasting of Hitler and the Nazis as it did crush me in the historical repetition we appear to be on the verge of experiencing — though that final speech by Chaplin starring down the barrel of the camera still packs a wallop. Thankfully, A Woman of Paris didn’t miss its mark; instead, while not as dramatic or heavily romantic as one may expect from a film of the romantic drama genre, it is a surprisingly progressive and modern tale that frequently ziggs when one expects it to follow a well-trodden path. Not only that, through the benefit of supplemental materials like Vance’s essay, one comes to realize that the tools of psychological storytelling Chaplin uses (mentioned in the essay as less-known or used prior to this) are so incredibly commonplace now and that’s because of Chaplin’s influence. So, if you’re like this reviewer and only like some Chaplin films, perhaps wait for the inevitable Criterion sale (direct or through Barnes & Noble). But if you love the filmmaker’s work or just aim to be a completionist, this is an easy recommendation to make.
A Woman of Paris Special Features:
- *NEW* 4K digital restoration of the 1976 rerelease version, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack featuring a score composed by director Charlie Chaplin
- Alternate score from 2005 created by conductor Timothy Brock, based on music by Chaplin, presented in uncompressed stereo
- Introduction by Chaplin scholar David Robinson
- *NEW* A Serious Drama, video essay by Chaplin biographer Jeffrey Vance
- Chaplin Today: “A Woman of Paris,” featuring interviews with actor Liv Ullmann and filmmaker Michael Powell
- Archive Commentary: About “A Woman of Paris,” a documentary by Arnold Lozano, managing director of Roy Export S.A.S.
- Excerpts from an audio interview with Chaplin Studios cinematographer Roland Totheroh
- Deleted shots from the original 1923 film
- Archival footage from United Artists
- Trailers
- PLUS: An essay by critic Pamela Hutchinson and notes by Timothy Brock on the 2005 score
- New cover by Thomas Pittides
Available on Blu-ray and DVD March 18th, 2025.
For more information, head to the official The Criterion Collection A Woman of Paris webpage.
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Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Recommendation
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