La Dame aux Camélias, or more aptly La Storia Vera Della Signora Dalle Camelie, searches to find the woman behind the myth. Alexandre Dumas Fils’ masterpiece is maybe one of the most influential love stories ever written, but it only exists because the author once fell in love with a courtesan named Alphonsine Plessis, or Marie Duplessis as she came to be known. And what a formidable woman she was! Defying any and all simplification, Alphonsine was not just a poor naïve girl driven to prostitution, nor a lascivious man-eater incapable of love. Her choices, her way of life, the way she faces her own decay battling tuberculosis, all comes down to a complex interplay of social and internal factors that are fascinating to watch into play. Alphonsine Plessis is a challenge, and no actress could’ve been more up to it than Isabelle Huppert. I had the opportunity to watch this movie in a screening where she was present, and the sheer confidence with which Madame Huppert approached this role so full of nuance, relatively early in her career at that, is part of what makes her such a special performer. As for my personal experience, La Dame aux Camélias is one of my favorite books, so to learn about the inspiration behind it was intriguing in the best way, I loved the settings and the costumes, and there’s an interesting juxtaposition of Dumas Fils’ success with a romanticized version of Alphonsine’s story and the actual reality of what her life was like. My only issue with the movie is the pacing, which doesn’t always feel right, but I still enjoyed it a lot. You can’t really go wrong with this story.
La Dame aux Camélias, or more aptly La Storia Vera Della Signora Dalle Camelie, searches to find the woman behind the myth. Alexandre Dumas Fils’ masterpiece is maybe one of the most influential love stories ever written, but it only exists because the author once fell in love with a courtesan named Alphonsine Plessis, or Marie Duplessis as she came to be known. And what a formidable woman she was! Defying any and all simplification, Alphonsine was not just a poor naïve girl driven to prostitution, nor a lascivious man-eater incapable of love. Her choices, her way of life, the way she faces her own decay battling tuberculosis, all comes down to a complex interplay of social and internal factors that are fascinating to watch into play. Alphonsine Plessis is a challenge, and no actress could’ve been more up to it than Isabelle Huppert. I had the opportunity to watch this movie in a screening where she was present, and the sheer confidence with which Madame Huppert approached this role so full of nuance, relatively early in her career at that, is part of what makes her such a special performer. As for my personal experience, La Dame aux Camélias is one of my favorite books, so to learn about the inspiration behind it was intriguing in the best way, I loved the settings and the costumes, and there’s an interesting juxtaposition of Dumas Fils’ success with a romanticized version of Alphonsine’s story and the actual reality of what her life was like. My only issue with the movie is the pacing, which doesn’t always feel right, but I still enjoyed it a lot. You can’t really go wrong with this story.
