''Madame Sans-Gêne'' (''Madame Careless'') is a 1925 American silent romantic costume

comedy-drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

film directed by

Léonce Perret Léonce Joseph Perret (14 March 1880 – 12 August 1935) was a prolific and innovative French film actor, director and producer.The Museum of Modern Art(retrieved 7 June 2007) He also worked as a stage actor and director. Often described as avan ...

and starring

Gloria Swanson Gloria Mae Josephine Swanson (March 27, 1899April 4, 1983) was an American actress. She first achieved fame acting in dozens of silent films in the 1920s and was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, most famously for h ...

. Based on the 1893 play of the same name by

Victorien Sardou Victorien Sardou ( , ; 5 September 1831 – 8 November 1908) was a French dramatist. He is best remembered today for his development, along with Eugène Scribe, of the well-made play. He also wrote several plays that were made into popular 19th-c ...

and Émile Moreau, the film was released by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

. The screenplay was by Forrest Halsey and Leonce Perret directed.

Plot

As described in a film magazine review, at the time after the French Revolution, a sharp-witted laundress fights for her country and wins favor with a Duke. After her marriage to him, she is accepted in the court of Napoleon. Because her manners are not fashionable, she is called before Napoleon. She triumphs over the court with her wits and returns to her husband, whom she loves.

Cast

Production

The film was produced and filmed in France, as Swanson was on extended vacation there. She soon became involved with

Henri de La Falaise Henry de La Falaise, Marquis de La Coudraye (born James Henri Le Bailly de la Falaise; February 11, 1898 – April 10, 1972), was a French nobleman, translator, film director, film producer, sometime actor, and war hero who was best known for his ...

, hired by Paramount to be her French interpreter, and who later became her third husband.

Preservation

With no prints of ''Madame Sans-Gêne'' located in any film archives, it is a

lost film A lost film is a feature film, feature or short film in which the original negative or copies are not known to exist in any studio archive, private collection, or public archive. Films can be wholly or partially lost for a number of reasons. ...

. A vintage movie trailer displaying short clips of the film still exists, however, and can be seen on YouTube.

References

External links