''La dama de Chez Maxim's'' (or ''La Dame de Chez Maxim's'') is a 1923
Italian silent comedy film
The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...
directed by
Amleto Palermi and starring
Carmen Boni
Carmen Boni (born Maria Carmela Bonicatti; 8 April 1901 – 18 November 1963) was an Italian actress.
Biography
Maria Carmela Bonicatti was born on 8 April 1901 in Rome to a colonel and Teresa Rovere di Bergeggi. Her birth date has also been gi ...
,
Alfredo Martinelli and
Pina Menichelli. It is an adaptation of the 1899 play ''
La Dame de chez Maxim'' by
Georges Feydeau.
Cast
*
Carmen Boni
Carmen Boni (born Maria Carmela Bonicatti; 8 April 1901 – 18 November 1963) was an Italian actress.
Biography
Maria Carmela Bonicatti was born on 8 April 1901 in Rome to a colonel and Teresa Rovere di Bergeggi. Her birth date has also been gi ...
*
Alfredo Martinelli
*
Pina Menichelli
* Ugo Gracci
*
Marcel Lévesque
* Arrigo Marchio
Production
The work is the first film adaptation of a Feydeau play by Palermi, released two years before his screen version of ''
Occupe-toi d'Amélie'' (1925). It is also, more generally, one of various adaptations of
melodrama
A melodrama is a Drama, dramatic work in which plot, typically sensationalized for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodrama is "an exaggerated version of drama". Melodramas typically concentrate on ...
and
vaudeville plays made by the Italian director.
Reception
The film is considered by Charles Ford in his ''History of Modern Film'' (1966), to be his best screen adaptation of a theater play. It was the second
silent screen adaptation of the play, and in his book about the playwright, Jacques Lorcey found the effort to convey Feydeau's humour without dialogue amusing.
Various commentators noted Menichelli's comedic performance.
Preferences
See also
*
Maxim's
External links
*
1923 films
1920s Italian-language films
Italian films based on plays
Films based on works by Georges Feydeau
Films directed by Amleto Palermi
1923 comedy films
Italian silent feature films
Italian black-and-white films
Silent Italian comedy films
1920s Italian films
Italian-language comedy films
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