The Cigarette

1919 [FRENCH]

Action / Drama

7
IMDb Rating 6.6/10 10 478 478

cigarette fate silent film suspicion of adultery woman director cigarette smoking

Plot summary

A Parisian museum director believes his wife is cheating on him and so places a poisoned cigarette in the box on his desk, thus allowing chance to decide the moment of his death.

Director

Germaine Dulac Photo
Germaine Dulac

Top cast

Gabriel Signoret Photo
Gabriel Signoret as Pierre Guérande
Andrée Brabant Photo
Andrée Brabant as Denise
Jules Raucourt Photo
Jules Raucourt as Maurice Herbert
Genevieve Williams Photo
Genevieve Williams as L'amie
720p.BluRay 1080p.BluRay
459.83 MB
968*720
French 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
17.982 fps
12 hr 50 min
Seeds ...
853.57 MB
1440*1072
French 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
17.982 fps
12 hr 50 min
Seeds 1

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by Hitchcoc 6 / 10

An Artifact

This film is only watched because the woman who directed it went on to greater things. The print is terrible, with dramatic dropouts (probably beyond repair). It tells the story of a fifty something museum curator who has married a pretty young woman. She is affectionate and loving (and we would say he is a lucky man). She is also full of life and he is terribly stuffy and directs his energy toward mummies and old things. When she takes a bit of a shine to a younger man, he becomes jealous. There is nothing to it, but the old guy is so jealous that he decides to kill himself and release her from their marriage. He decides to poison some cigarettes (how is that for weird?) and slink into oblivion. I won't spoil things by revealing the ending. Watch this only if you are a bit of a film buff because of the horrible quality of the film.
Reviewed by I_Ailurophile 7 / 10

Enjoyable and well done, if unremarkable

Like no few other surviving silent films, this one isn't without its wear and tear; there's extreme, very unfortunate deterioration seen throughout of the print that was ultimately digitally preserved. I'm of the mind that this only adds to the charm of such fare, however, and moreover this isn't the only commonality 'La cigarette' shares with its kin, for despite its age it looks pretty fantastic - the costume design, hair, makeup, sets, and filming locations are all gorgeous. Louis Chaix's cinematography tends toward the simpler side of what we saw in these early years of cinema, but his work is admirable nonetheless, and instances of close-ups or tightly focused shots are most welcome. The editing is more than suitable, and filmmaker Germaine Dulac had a keen eye for orchestrating shots and scenes with recognition of the very visual nature of storytelling in film. I rather believe this movie is also a fine credit to the cast, whose acting tends to be more nuanced and natural than what we often saw in contemporary titles (e.g., exaggerated facial expressions and body language in compensation for lack of sound, and ported from the stage). Even among a small assemblage Andrée Brabant and Gabriel Signoret stand out most in the chief roles, but the same goes for everyone in front of the camera. Despite the ravages of time, this feature quite has all the makings of another silent classic, including some artfully rendered intertitles.Truly, in every aspect of its craftsmanship this is marked by obvious skill and intelligence. I'm a smidgen more divided on Jacques de Baroncelli's screenplay - not because it's bad, but just because it's highly demonstrative of the more simple and straightforward side of the silent era. This, too, is no abject fault per se, but it does mean that from a narrative standpoint 'La cigarette' is arguably less distinguished. Exemplifying the point, the thrust of the plot is repeated again and again even from earliest scenes as a facet of Pierre's work, and the whole comes off as a tad heavy-handed as a result. Still, there's just enough detail in the writing to offset that plainspokenness: smartly rendered dialogue, as related through intertitles; well-rounded scene writing that adds a degree of tension to the proceedings, and keeps us locked in; slight variables in plot development to add to the drama. There are even notable themes on hand, from love, jealousy, and suspicion, to dynamics between men and women, difficulties that come with age gaps in any social interaction, and more. There's no singular stroke of brilliance anywhere herein, but despite subjective forthright gawkiness in the melodrama and how it's accentuated from the start, there are also no substantial flaws. This is really pretty well done all around.I don't think there's anything so special about this picture as to fully demand viewership. There's no major beat of drama - this actively declines any, in fact - and it may not even particularly stand out in a crowd among other works of the same period. Recognizing that cigarettes are viewed differently around the world, there's nevertheless also something to be said for how well the fundamental premise has aged over time (or rather, how poorly), let alone the ending. Still, the overall vibe is one of lovely warmth and pleasantness, and 'La cigarette' is more than enjoyable enough for something to watch on a quiet day. Don't necessarily go out of your way for it, but if you do have the opportunity to watch, this is a tiny slice of cinema history worth revisiting.
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