Reconciliation — Armand returns to Marguerite Characters: Armand Duval, Marguerite Gauthier, M. DuvalLocation: Marguerite's Deathbed
Final Farewell — Marguerite dies in Armand's arms Characters: Marguerite Gauthier, Armand Duval, NanineLocation: Deathbed
Story Breakdown
The Courtesan's Life — Marguerite's existence as a celebrated yet ill courtesan
High Society — Marguerite's relationships with wealthy patrons
Secret Suffering — Hidden tuberculosis and emotional turmoil
Forbidden Love — The passionate affair between Marguerite and Armand
Initial Attraction — Their first meeting and growing interest
Romantic Escape — Their time together away from Paris
Social Obstacles — The forces working against their love
Father's Opposition — M. Duval's intervention to protect his family
Class Differences — Society's judgment of Marguerite's past
Tragic Sacrifice — Marguerite's decision to leave Armand
Heartbreak — Armand's reaction to her rejection
Public Humiliation — Armand's revenge at the opera
Final Days — Marguerite's illness and reconciliation with Armand
Decline — Marguerite's health deteriorates
Forgiveness — Armand's return and final moments together
Alexandre Dumas' romantic novel Lady of the Camelias (more popularly known as Camille) was filmed twice in 1953, first in Argentina, then in France. The Argentine film was heavily modernized, while the French version returns to Dumas' 19th-century milieu. Micheline Presle is excellent as Marguerite, the gorgeous courtesan who flits from man to man until she finds true love in the form of the much-younger Armand (Rolande Alexandre). Though he is willing to marry her despite her past, she is persuaded to forsake him, lest his reputation be ruined. The story then wends its way towards its famous tragic finale, as the consumptive Marguerite is permitted a few brief moments of happiness before her flame is permanently extinguished. Advertised as the seventh version of the Dumas classic, La Dame aux Camelias was certainly not the last.
