Production
Several things set this film apart from Chaplin's other work. The first, most obvious, is that he does not appear in the film, at least not in his traditional role of the tramp. He has a brief cameo as a porter in a train station. This role was supposed to be inconspicuous and he is not even listed in the credits for it (though he precedes the film with a title card which explains that he does not appear). Most people seeing the film will not realize that it is actually Chaplin; this was intended. The other major difference between this and most of Chaplin's other work is that the film is supposed to be a serious drama. There is no slapstick comedy.
Edna Purviance plays the lead as Marie St. Clair. Chaplin had several reasons for producing this film, and one of these reasons was to help Purviance gain recognition as an actress without Chaplin at her side. Another was because he wanted to try staying behind the camera and attempt his first real drama. Despite this attempt, Edna Purviance was never able to achieve the level of success that she had in films with Chaplin's Tramp at her side. However, the film did help Adolphe Menjou gain some recognition.
The film was largely inspired by Chaplin's brief 1922 romance with Peggy Hopkins Joyce, whose stories of her romantic adventures in Europe provided the framework of the screenplay.
Read more about this topic: A Woman Of Paris
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