Of course I never read the original, and I never saw any of the film adaptations until now, but I've known about the sad story of Camille and the case of consumption that did her in for what by now seems like ages. It's just one of those things I heard about long ago that I just figured was part of the literary scene of which I want little if any part of. But this 1921 version starring the switch-hitting swingers Nazimova and Rudy Valentino did seem tasty if anything, so why not spend a lost Sunday afternoon watching the thing 'stead of enjoying the weather like most suburban slobs would do..
The film does come off as pleasing-enough in an eye-catching way what with all of those art deco sets and the expressive acting through sickly layers of makeup. It's a definite must-see for the hip-de-la silent moom pitcher crowd too, what with this early Valentino performance right before he broke the heart of every bell boy in San Francisco with his ultry sultry looks. It ain't the best thing that the silent era hadda offer, but with the stylish look and heavy melodrama it really is a can't miss. Woulda looked great on the old PBS SILENT YEARS series tinted and with a fitting William Perry soundtrack (though the one tagged onto this is way more befitting than the modern jazzbo junk often heard on TCM productions---sure wish these moderne-day film restorers wouldn't go out of their way to "update" these by-now ancient classics!).
But when all is said and done there's one and only one thing that I can say to you after watching this film, and that is---COVER COUGHS AND SNEEZES---FIGHT TB TODAY!!!!
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