In the original story of Camille by Alexandre
Dumas, Jr. La Dame aux Camelias, a beautiful Parisian courtesan,
Marguerite Gautier, (called Camille because of her love for
camelias) is supported by a series of aristocratic lovers,
but does not fall in love until she meets Armand Duval.
Armand's father lets it be known that Camille would ruin Armand
because of her low past, and she leaves to save his reputation,
saying she does not love him anymore.
She soon contracts tuberculosis, and Armand hears that she
is dying.
He rushes to her side, finds out she has loved him all along,
and she dies knowing he has always loved her.
The True Story of Camille uses the ploy of Alexandre Dumas,
Jr. doing his version of Camille at the turn of the 20th century,
as a means of introducing a flashback to the real story behind
the real Camille, Alphonsine Plessis.
In the film, Alphonsine (Isabelle Huppert), a country girl,
was sold by her father to a wealthy neighbor, which starts
her off on a round of living in expansive palaces and keeping
company with wealthy aristocrats and eventually, Alexandre
Dumas, Jr. himself. But that trajectory did not happen all
at once.
Alphonsine first survives, barely, as a seamstress in Paris.
Then she becomes a prostitute, after which a Count Peregaunts
(Bruno Ganz) marries her, then more or less disappears, leaving
her to become a high-class courtesan.
As she makes her way from one handsome, aristocratic client
to the next, a noble protector, Count Stechelberg (Fernando
Rey) keeps her out of harm's way.
By the time she and Dumas meet, she has become infected with
tuberculosis - and she has created the inspiration for Dumas'
story of Camille.
Her father comes along at this point, however, ready to trounce
Dumas for romanticizing his daughter's wretched life - the
same father that sold her off in the first place.
If the viewer can remember that the characters of Marguerite
Gautier (Carla Fracci) and Armand Duval from Dumas' story
of Camille have been given their real personas as Alphonsine
Plessis and Dumas in this film, then the story within a story
make more sense.
Cast:
Isabelle Huppert, Bruno Ganz, Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Fernando
Rey, Mario Maranzana, Carla Fracci, Clio Goldsmith, Gian maria
Volonté, Fabio Traversa, Yann Babilee
Director:
Mauro Bolognini |
