La Bohème (1926) User Reviews

Gesticulations Deluxe!

[overseer-3 · 8/10 · 2 May 2004]

I have seen hundreds of silent films by now, but I have never, ever yet seen a film in which pantomime was so wildly and dramatically used consistently throughout the entire story by the actors, particularly by John Gilbert. I hate to say it, but here as Rudolphe, although he was his usual fantastically handsome self, he reminds me most of Gene Kelly's antics in the silent film spoof musical "Singin' in the Rain." The film required more subtlety from Mr. Gilbert here, and then I think it would have been a genuine classic.

That said, there are moments where his pantomime is perfectly poignant, more genteel, and realistic. The romp through the woods on a spring day, where Mimi (Gish) confesses to Rudolphe (Gilbert) that she loves him, is sublime and unforgettable. He places his hand gently on his heart in surprise, and then kisses Mimi's golden ringlets first, before he kisses her face. A gesture so nineteenth century! John Gilbert certainly knew his history and researched his roles very well.

Lillian Gish is always a joy to watch, and her performance as Mimi is exceptional. Her death scene was very moving. If you are a fan of John Gilbert or Lillian Gish, don't miss La Boheme. TCM has a wonderful video clip from the film on its website. Just use their search engine to find it.

adaptation of Henri Murger's look at artistic dreamers in 1830 Paris.

[AlsExGal · 7/10 · 3 May 2023]

Rodolphe (John Gilbert) is a wouldbe playwright struggling for that final bit of inspiration that will lead him to greatness. Mimi (Lillian Gish) is his upstairs neighbor, a seamstress and embroidery expert who works herself to the breaking point. Along with various painters, musicians and other poets, they all struggle to make ends meet until they finally have the success they all crave

The most famous bit of this one is the very ending, but I won't risk spoiling things, only to say that it's milked for all that it's worth. Gilbert looks even more like John Barrymore here, with his tousled hair and piercing eyes. Gish is her usual waifish, saintly self, although she was reportedly anything but offscreen during the making of this, her personal "love letter" to her European fans. I thought the film to be merely decent, with nothing beyond the ending to really recommend it.

No one else but Lillian Gish....

[silence-12 · 5 October 1999]

No one else but Lillian Gish would have starved herself for three days to make the final scene, and no one else would have done it so effectively. Would a modern actress have allowed herself to be dragged physically across the cobblestone streets?

Silent stars Lillian Gish and John Gilbert are featured in this classic story

[jacobs-greenwood · 7/10 · 15 December 2016]

Directed by King Vidor, and based on the Henri Murger novel (Life in the Latin Quarter), this above average silent stars Lillian Gish and John Gilbert (among others) as starving artists that live in the same apartment building in Paris's Latin district, Bohemia, in 1830.

It's primarily a love story between these two main characters, he's a writer named Rodolphe while she's a seamstress named Mimi. Important supporting roles are played by Renée Adorée, who plays Musette - the non-starving girlfriend of Marcel (Gino Corrado), Rodolphe's painting roommate, plus there's a piccolo playing songwriter Schaunard (George Hassell) and his 'assistant' Colline (played by an unrecognizable Edward Everett Horton, wearing glasses), and Roy D'Arcy, who plays an aristocrat that's interested in more than just Mimi's work.

Of course, the most difficult thing the artists face each month is paying their rent. Eugene Pouyet plays Bernard the landlord; Karl Dane & Mathilde Comont play the Benoits, who manage the flats. However, by pawning their things, working together and sharing, the artists all seem to find the means to stay off the streets. Mimi is initially a loner, living alone in another flat, but through Rodolphe she meets his friends and becomes part of the group. Also, she meets Vicomte Paul (D'Arcy) on the street one day, and he becomes (in effect) her benefactor, ordering lots of work from her in order to get closer to her; he is quite taken with Mimi. One spring day, the artists go on a picnic in the country, taking their 'adopted' Mimi with them for the very first time. During the outing, Rodolphe and Mimi spend some time alone and declare their love for one another.

With Mimi's love, Rodolphe is inspired to write a play, at the expense of his other writings (e.g. those that pay his rent!). When Mimi delivers his latest article to the (uncredited, unless it's David Mir) paper's editor, he tells her it is too late, and that Rodolphe is fired. Mimi decides to keep this fact from him so that he can complete his play without worry. She works another job at night to pay Rodolphe herself as if he were still getting money from the editor for his articles, which she hides in a drawer in her flat. He is very excited about his play, and he acts it out of her in one of the film's many great scenes. She in turn acts it out for the Vicomte, who promises to share it with a friend of his that manages a theater, in order to win her favors. But Rodolphe discovers him in Mimi's flat and is outraged, he says that he would rather starve than receive the Vicomte's assistance.

Later, however, Musette is able to arrange Mimi's introduction to the theater manager (Frank Currier). Meanwhile, Rodolphe is upset to learn of Mimi's deception. He discovers his writings in her drawer. He confronts her about it and she explains; all is well until he rightly suspects that she's been out with Vicomte Paul. Rodolphe flies into a rage and accidentally hurts Mimi. Realizing what he's done, and (then, finally) the sacrifices she's made for him, he vows to take care of her forsaking his play. But because of her love for Rodolphe, Mimi disappears when he leaves the room. His love and sorrow, suffering, enable him to write a great, successful play while Mimi slaves away in the slums of Paris. While celebrating his play's opening with his friends at his flat, Rodolphe proposes a toast to Mimi and beckons her. Somehow, she hears his plea and, though she's near death due to consumption (tuberculosis), she finds a way to make it to Bohemia and the building in which she used to live. She is reunited with Rodolphe and his friends, but only temporarily before she dies. These final scenes, Mimi's struggle across town and her death, are the film's best, and most powerful.

Some of the film's titles flash by much too fast to read, one or two frames at most, which requires a quick hand on the remote in order to read them.

Lillian Gish's Tour de Force

[JLRMovieReviews · 10/10 · 16 November 2010]

For those who love silent films, this film needs no introduction. For those who know nothing about them and would like to begin your Silent Classics 101 class or better yet your Lillian Gish 101 class, begin with this. Lillian Gish was a silent screen star who also was a very successful movie star in talking pictures. But her main contributions to film history are her silent pictures. She was also in The Wind, The Scarlet Letter, Broken Blossoms, Orphans of the Storm, and in director D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation, Intolerance, and Way Down East. All of them are essential to a Lillian Gish 101 class.

But begin with La Boheme. It centers around tenants in an apartment building, who are barely scraping by: John Gilbert who is a writer of stories and plays, or at least hopes to be, and Lillian Gish who sews to make money. They can barely make enough to pay for the rent. Gilbert at least has friends with whom he is "poor but happy" with. But Lillian is alone and looks as petite as actresses come. Their lives cross when he takes her in and feeds her out of pity and from thereon he falls in love with her. Miss Gish's dark expressive eyes and fine distinctive features only heighten her performance. She is heartbroken, when she has to give her clothes away and gets very little for them. And throughout the film, she does all she can to help the man she loves.

And the last 15 minutes is unforgettable as she is at death's door, but makes her way through the village, back to John Gilbert, hanging onto the back of trucks and literally dragging herself across the street. If you haven't had a good cry lately, I recommend this and defy anyone to not break down watching this. If you don't, then something is seriously wrong with you. What's amazing also is that Miss Gish was already petite, but she lost even more weight just for her final scenes to be believable. That is not makeup. The crew watching and even John Gilbert thought she was actually dying. But, Miss Gish was that way; she would do all for the sake of her work, as the true artist she was. This is in my opinion her tour de force, and that's saying a lot, as she was always outstanding in everything she ever did.

None of her other films really capture the intensity and sensitivity of her talents as La Boheme does, with the exception of The Wind. Discover Miss Lillian Gish and La Boheme and you may never want to go back to talking pictures.

Carrying martyrdom to a ridiculous extreme...

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 22 November 2010]

While this film looks good and has top stars, I was not overly impressed by this MGM silent film. While perhaps audiences of the day liked it, the script just seems way overdone and a bit ridiculous.

The story is set among the poor bohemian set in Paris. The lead (John Gilbert) is a playwright who has never published anything of importance and talks of doing more but never has tried. He has a couple friends who live with him who are also poor ne'er-do-wells and they barely have money to pay the rent. In a nearby apartment lives a young lady (Lillian Gish) who falls for Gilbert and believes in his ability to write a great play. So, she works her fingers to the bone to help pay his expenses--and destroys her health in the process. When the undeserving boyfriend THINKS she is cheating on him (all the while working like a dog), he casts her aside...with disastrous results.

My big problem with this film is that Gish's character is simply too self-sacrificing and perfect to be human. Heck, when Gilbert mistreats her, she STILL is like an even happier version of Snow White and never gets angry or perturbed in any way! It really took me out of the picture, as her character had zero depth. While Gilbert's character was, in some ways, unlikable, at least he had character. Overall, a disappointing film that should have been better and could have been with a slight reworking of the script.

Silent movie opera with Gish, Gilbert and Vidor

[jjcremin-1 · 8/10 · 14 August 2008]

Once upon a time, in fact, 1924, Marcus Loew teamed up with Louis B. Mayer to by the Goldwyn studios in Culver City. The entity became MGM. In 1925, a blockbuster would help MGM to the forefront where it would stay for many years. That blockbuster was THE BIG PARADE, brilliantly directed by King Vidor and elegantly played by John Gilbert and Renee Adoree. It was so successful that it still was in the theatres in 1931, when it almost disappeared. But that's another story and only included here to set the stage for this silent movie opera.

Reportedly wooed by Irving Thalberg whose letters addressed her as Mimi, the tragic heroine of La Boheme, Lillian Gish was a big box office draw in the early twenties. In fact, she was already quite the veteran, had script approval, choice of director of leading man and director. She was a star and was associated which most of D.W.Griffith's biggest hits. In fact, she had top billing in that very controversial film THE BIRTH OF A NATION and though shown only rocking the cradle in INTOLERANCE, was present for most of the shooting of that masterpiece. After ORPHANS OF THE STORM, her last movie with Griffith, she was very much sought and can be said, one of MGM's first stars.

For her first MGM movie, she was responsible for bringing Victor Seastrom, an outstanding director from Sweden, and Lars Hanson, also from Sweden as her leading man for THE SCARLET LETTER. Willing to remain silent about the identity of the father of her child, Gish was pretty much peerless as the tragic heroine of the silent era.

With Gish in the picture, a picture that Thalberg effectively cast Lillian first, Adoree had to settle for third billing and very much a supporting role when she reunited with Vidor and Gilbert for LA BOHEME. In fact, most of this movie seems intent of making Gilbert a major star with many scenes the iconic tragic Gish. What they may have lacked in physical chemistry, they make up with classic silent movie acting that neither could get away it just a few years later.

The movie starts out with Gilbert a frustrated writer with three room mates, one being a young Everett Horton. They can't pay the rent and neither can the waif down the hall, played by Gish. She makes hers by selling her belonging while the four men get their after getting a monkey, that they curiously want to get rid of once they made the rent. Adoree lives downstairs and invites her boyfriend who invites his two friends. Meanwhile, Gilbert is able to see Gish their each other's windows and acting very much like Douglas Fairbanks, defies death to talk to her at her window sill.

The most charming scene happens when Gish and Gilbert go on a picnic and do a dance together. She runs away, he catches up to her and she declares her undying love. Gish rarely showed such playfulness here. However, what lessens this movie are major plot holes. He forgets to write articles to focus on his play and she has a rich suitor who's unsuccessful bedding her. Instead, she stays up nights to make clothes and gives money to Gilbert who thinks he's getting money from the publisher. When he discovers he's actually been fired for over five weeks, he goes to Lillian's place and actually stops the rape that the wastrel suitor almost gave her.

He jumps to the wrong conclusions and as over the top as silent acting gets, especially on her part, they have a violent break up. He becomes a successful playwright while she works in some horrid manufacturing plant and succumbs to tuberculosis, ironically the disease that Adoree would die of just a few years later. Even more ironic, it is Adoree who is with Gish when she dies. As Gish remarked, though she would roll up her eyes and die many times on screen, in fact, she was the last major silent star to die and lived to be ninety-nine years old.

There is evidence of Vidor's talent in this one and if the script is bit nonsensical, it's really the opera's fault. Not given much to do here was Karl Dane, whose comic relief spitting routine helped make THE BIG PARADE a success. The director and leads all made better films but I did find this very watchable and should be better known than it is.

Watch it for Gish

[gbill-74877 · 7/10 · 18 January 2019]

Lillian Gish is the main reason to watch this film, as the subtlety and range of her expressiveness is on full display here. She is simply magnificent. The film shows signs of creakiness and yet still carries an emotional impact, though I have to say, director King Vidor elongates things as he tries to wring every last ounce of pathos out of it. The film is also hampered by being silent, when you consider how powerful the music from Puccini's opera is.

Gish and John Gilbert were huge stars when this film was made, Gish especially, and there are moments when they light up the screen. My favorite is when they're out on a picnic and she dances about while he chases her. Look for the moment when he catches her, then holds her hands from behind and whispers something in her ear; her look of surprise changing to a backward glance as her body sways forward is wonderful. It's in these types of scenes and when the Vidor puts Gish's face in a tight shot that the film is at its best, and for them, it's worth watching.

Classic Silent, Classic Story

[Maleejandra · 8/10 · 16 June 2006]

La Boheme is a notoriously unreleased film that sometimes broadcasts on TCM. Thanks to a great cast featuring Lillian Gish, John Gilbert, and Renee Adoree, it is no wonder why fans clamor to see it. The star power indeed makes the film a good one. The story is one of sadness and heartbreak; two people live struggling to make ends meet in a shabby town in France. He is working as a writer, succumbing to pieces for the newspaper for money while he can flesh out his play. She is a seamstress whose love for him leads her to working herself to death. The love story is tragic and beautiful.

I have never understood the appeal of Gilbert, so I was not as interested in his character or, in consequence, the romantic relationship between he and Gish than I could have been. He is not a bad actor; I simply do not gravitate to his type. Gish is wonderful, however, as a pathetic but beautiful woman. One bright spot of this film was the couple's scenes on a picnic running through the wilderness in the sunlight.

La Boheme review

[JoeytheBrit · 6/10 · 30 June 2020]

If MGM's 1926 version of Puccini's opera tells us anything, it's that pairing an actress like Lillian Gish with an actor like John Gilbert is a little like hanging a portrait of the Mona Lisa next to a painting of Popeye. Gish has such sensitivity and grace, and is capable of conveying such emotion with the slightest of facial movements, that she throws an unforgiving spotlight on Gilbert's bombastic endeavours. His character is also something of a dick, which makes poor Mimi's fate all the more tragic (in a 'what a waste' sort of way) while stripping it of much of the poignancy that director King Vidor was clearly striving to create.

Bohemian Rhapsody

[wes-connors · 8/10 · 1 June 2008]

In 19th century Bohemia, artistic residents in the "Latin Quarter" of Paris suffer and starve. Lillian Gish (as Mimi) is a seamstress who can't pay the rent. John Gilbert (as Rodolphe) is an playwright with money problems of his own. Gilbert has been watching Gish, who lives in the neighboring attic apartment; he is taken by her innocent waif-like beauty. On the first of the month, neither Ms. Gish nor Mr. Gilbert are able to pay the rent, when the landlord visits. Gilbert, his roommates, and friends get some cash together; but Gish, a loner, is evicted. As Gish is preparing to leave the building, Gilbert and friends rescue her from street life. Then, Gish and Gilbert fall in love.

The film is most notable for its outstanding pairing of stars Gish and Gilbert, under the star direction of King Vidor. Mr. Vidor is strangely subdued by the period, and settings; but, his Paris street scenes are terrific. The meeting of Gish and lecherous Roy D'Arcy (as Vicomte Paul) is striking; and, Gish's tubercular crawl through the streets of Paris is most especially stunning.

The lovers of "La Bohème" face poverty and misunderstanding; but, mainly, it's Gish's "Mimi" making sacrifices for Gilbert's "Rodolphe". Gish's performance is indescribable. According to Vidor and co-workers, she may have put her life in danger to make the film's ending most realistic; and, it shows. Gilbert is in fine form, and characterization; according to Gish, he proposed during film-making. Renée Adorée (as Musette) and Karl Dane (as Benoit) standout among the oddly more well-fed Bohemians.

King Vidor directing Lillian Gish and John Gilbert in a prestigious M-G-M production is, of course, well worth seeing; but, the sum of their efforts do not produce the portended masterpiece. Gish's performance seems too outer-worldly for the rest of the cast; and, the story is unworthy. Cinematographer Hendrik Sartov contributes to some beautiful imagery; although, his soft focus lens, on Gish close-ups, is distracting during the early scenes. Happily, Gish, and photographer Sartov, returned to balanced perfection, in "The Scarlet Letter" (1926).

******** La Boheme (2/24/26) King Vidor ~ Lillian Gish, John Gilbert, Renee Adoree, Roy D'Arcy

A lot of jumping around

[ArtVandelayImporterExporter · 4/10 · 22 March 2022]

This is pretty low-brow stuff to be called La Boheme.

More like The Desecration of La Boheme as realized by a bunch of hopped up twits. Everybody's just running around, waiving their arms, contorting their faces. Even by 1920s standards it's a bit much. I half-expected Snidely Whiplash to make a cameo.

By the time John Gilbert is jumping around the apartment explaining how inspired he is now that Lillian Gish has professed her love, he's so over-the-top I started to laugh.

Gish looks like she has tuberculosis.

Without singing, it's just cheap melodrama about a bunch of starving artists, signifying nothing.

The Reason I Fell in Love With Lillian Gish All Those Years Ago...

[kidboots · 10/10 · 19 November 2010]

...In the early 70s actually. "La Boheme" was the first silent movie I ever saw at the local cinema club, although I had long idolized Lillian Gish. I can vividly remember crying and despairing as Mimi dragged herself through the Paris streets, then hanging on to the back of a cart as, dying, she strives to keep her promise to Rudolphe that she would return to him when he is a success. A few days ago I "revisited" "La Boheme" and was gripped by the same emotions as I was back then. I also didn't realise back then that Lillian put her heart and soul into her performances to make them as real as possible. When she went to MGM her contract gave her control over the type of pictures, director, leading actors and cameramen. She wanted Hendrick Sartov as photographer - she had discovered him and he had invented a soft focus lens just for her - and she got him. If that wasn't enough, her strenuous working practises and striving for artistic excellence raised a few eyebrows as well. No one knew more about the basics of film making more than Lillian Gish but she had an uphill battle convincing the heads of MGM.

The plot involved the adventures of a group of carefree Bohemians in Paris's Latin Quarter. Mimi (an astonishingly beautiful Lillian Gish) has been given notice by the landlord - either pay the rent or move out that night. Rodolphe and his merry band, who have been fortunate in finding some money, rescue her and vow to always share their good fortune with her. Mimi and Rodolphe fall in love but when Mimi delivers some of his articles to the editor, he sacks him and tells Mimi to pass on the message. Rather than dishearten him, Mimi doesn't tell him and continues to take his articles to the paper, all the while working far into the night at her sewing to earn enough for Rodolphe's "work". His jealousy gets the better of him and Mimi decides to go away, to stop being a distraction so he can find fortune with his unfinished play. I must say I didn't even notice John Gilbert's "gestures" - I thought he was so right for the role. After all, he was supposed to be a flamboyant author, a fiery Bohemian consumed with passion and jealousy. I especially liked the scene where he acts out his play to an enchanted Mimi.

In Miss Gish's book "The Movies, Mr. Griffith and Me", there is a whole chapter devoted to the trials and tribulations she went through during the filming of "La Boheme". Erte, a top designer from Paris was called in to design the costumes but Lillian was appalled when she saw the sumptuous dresses. She felt they looked too grand to be worn by poor Bohemian girls. She knew that silk gave a more delicate and softer look and she tried to convince Renee Adoree to adopt the same look but to no avail. I think she was right. Renee looks swamped by her wig and the voluminous gowns. She battled about the sets as well. "These are poor Bohemians - they can't live in a big beautiful house" she said. She must also have won that battle as the sets are very picturesque.

Highly, Highly Recommended.

An emotional powerhouse

[Immy · 30 October 1998]

It's difficult to imagine what going to the movies was like during the Silent Era. With no soundtracks, and a person in the theater simply accompanying the on-screen action on piano, dramas of the day must have suffered somewhat. But not 'La Boheme'.

As this wonderfully engaging tale of struggling actors and writers in France unfolds, it has a quality to its story telling that would have diminished had it been a talkie. Once you see the frail and beautiful (and quite haunting) Lillian Gish in her key scenes, you will never forget her.

Grab a few hankies and enjoy this singular silent screen treat!

"To work for love"

[Steffi_P · 8/10 · 16 May 2011]

Stories like this have a certain kind of timelessness and familiarity to them, because they are based around characters and situations which recur again and again in art and literature. And in the case of La Boheme, it is a central concept which has particular resonance for the passionately creative amongst us. For here we meet the romantic archetype of the artists who will die for their art – writers, painters and musicians, lovers and libertines all, starving in the garrets of 19th century Paris. The story comes from the 1896 Puccini opera, but elements of it crop up as recently as the 2001 movie Moulin Rouge! During this era, there wasn't really anyone better suited to playing the female lead than Lillian Gish, and perhaps there never has been. Tender, mysterious, as light and ethereal as a strip of gauze, she was in every way the tragic heroine. At her best when she played it subtle, her performance in La Boheme is wonderfully subdued. So much lies in the tiniest flicker of her face, such as that little curl of her lip when she gets her first glimpse of John Gilbert. Gilbert is not nearly as fine an actor as his leading lady, but he is again very much the right type for his part – an idealist with intelligent eyes and a warm smile. Other faces to look out for here are the very entertaining French actress Renée Adorée, and a rare glimpse of a silent-era Edward Everett Horton, although sadly before his comic talent was fully realised.

The director is King Vidor, himself a man with a burningly artistic approach to his medium, albeit one grounded enough in reality and focused enough in thought to make him a good professional. His shot composition shows a neat use of space, and confident handling of rhythm. But what really makes Vidor stand out is the smooth way he makes shots that little bit special. Take for example the scene in which Vicomte Paul first lays eyes on Gish. We get a travelling point-of-view shot as he watches one young woman walking alongside his carriage. The carriage then stops, the woman carries on walking to reveal Gish heading straight towards the camera. We then cut in to a close-up of her face. The moment jolts itself into our consciousness, and because the movement of the camera and the two women is logical, it draws us further into the film's world, rather than exposing the artifice of the medium. King Vidor was one of the best directors who ever lived, because he successfully bridged the gap between the stylish and the realistic.

The resultant picture is a good work of classic romantic tragedy, and ultimately one that relates more to fantasy and mythology than to any real world situation. Poverty and injustice play their parts in La Boheme, but they are presented in almost noble terms, like some depiction of suffering in a religious painting. Compare this to poverty-themed pictures made just a few years later during the depression, which were earthy, honest and very close to home. La Boheme on the other hand is more the agonising, bittersweet fairytale. And there is no shame in this – it is simply a part of the idealism of the 1920s and of silent cinema, a naïve but beautiful way of thinking that was very soon to vanish with the changing times.

*Sob*

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 18 July 2011]

La Boheme, based on the original story rather than Puccini's operatic masterpiece, was such a beautiful film. The costumes are truly sumptuous, especially Musette's, the sets are picturesque and don't look at all creaky and the cinematography also has several beautiful images.

The music is lovely, and the story is a genuine tearjerker, especially the end, even when you know what is going to happen you can't help tearing up. The ending is not the only effective scene, the romp in the woods is stunningly romantic.

King Vidor's direction is also superb. When it comes to the performances, while the support cast are great especially Renee Adoree's Musette and John Gilbert is a dashing, sympathetic yet somewhat jealous Rodolphe, it is Lillian Gish's sorrowful and heart-breakingly touching Mimi that is La Boheme's main merit.

Overall, a truly beautiful film and never fails to make me cry. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Great!

[CanadianRonin · 8/10 · 26 June 2018]

This version of La Boheme is great! I know old time "silent film era" movies are disliked by many so if you don't like other films from the twenties you won't like this either, but if you do like them this is a very good version of one. La Boheme is a great story and this version has great acting and direction. Well worth seeing for fans of the stage show.

La Boheme

[bosheep · 15 January 2010]

NO, this silent Gish/Gilbert version of "La Boheme" is NOT BASED on the Puccini opera. Gish and the studio could not obtain the rights to the Puccini material. It IS based on Henry Murgi's 1851 novel "Life in the Latin Quarter." And once again IMDb insists I must pad out my comment to meet their silly minimum guidelines.

I do agree with other posters than you cannot view silent and sound films in the same way. No matter how great the performers involved, the 'mime' aspects seem very unnatural to modern eyes. You have to set aside prejudices on technique, especially if you are unused to viewing silent films, which can often seem melodrama and corny. I do enjoy watching Gish though.

Lillian Gish at Her Best

[ronkoyama · 8/10 · 22 July 2018]

This is a great version of the story La Boheme. It is not based on the famous opera of the same name but they are both based on the same story. This is based on the novel La Boheme and it is Lillian Gish at her very, very best.

Mimi gets thrown around.

[gkeith_1 · 8/10 · 11 July 2017]

Spoilers. Observations. Opinions.

Mimi gets thrown around. This is abuse. Boyfriend thinks she is cheating on him, but she is not.

She works to support his wastrel lifestyle, but he is too ignorant to appreciate it. She should dump his sorry posterior.

He wears nice clothes, even though broke and at times dull-witted.

The female neighbor dresses well, who supposedly has men support HER financially.

Mimi is a waif, and dresses in rags, until the neighbor loans her clothes to wear to a Marie Taglioni ballet.

Later, the boyfriend tears that beautiful gown to smithereens, furthering his spirit of jealous rage.

What a knucklehead.

An eight because a silent classic, and I think that the actors play the parts well.

1926 was one silent year before sound films, and I feel that the gestures here plus the intertitles tell the story well. Women, quit supporting these ungrateful men. This is a cautionary tale.

I am a degreed historian, actress, singer, dancer, stage makeup artist designer, film critic and movie reviewer.

Rodolphe And Mimi

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 14 October 2009]

In terms of playing the role, the art of opera is a whole lot like the silent film. To go with the words which will often be in a foreign language, you need to gesticulate to get the meaning across. Cecil B. DeMille realized that when he imported opera diva Geraldine Farrar to do a silent version of her acclaimed Carmen. Similarly the woman who specialized in playing innocents on the silent screen got one of her best roles as Mimi in the silent version of La Boheme.

Following up on The Big Parade, King Vidor directs his stars from that film in La Boheme. John Gilbert plays Rudolphe and Renee Adoree the saucy Musette. But the star of this film is Lillian Gish as the innocent and tragic Mimi. If you're familiar with the opera the plot of the film follows it faithfully.

Gilbert and Adoree live with a group of happy, but starving artists in a flat in Paris where getting the next meal or the next month's rent is an adventure. In fact in the beginning they are living in the flat for another month by dint of George Hassell's entertaining the street crowds with an organ and a monkey. And they can't eat the monkey because he might prove the most valuable breadwinner among them.

Into this world of artists comes sweet and innocent seamstress Lillian Gish. Of course she falls for Gilbert totally. But Gilbert only reciprocates her part way. He's about his art which in his case is writing. That's something Gish can't comprehend and leaves her vulnerable to the rakish Roy D'Arcy.

Edward Everett Horton has a small part in La Boheme. He's not the usual fuss budget that he was in talkies. Still I think most will recognize him.

The film belongs to Lillian Gish as the opera does to every soprano who essays the role from Mimi. It's only the end that Gilbert truly appreciates what he's had.

From the opera to the silent screen to talkies in the film Mimi that starred Gertrude Lawrence and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. to the modern updating of the story in Rent, La Boheme is a timeless tale and in this case brought to us by the timeless art of one Lillian Gish.

Legend Lillian

[gregberne11 · 8/10 · 8 December 2018]

Lillian Gish was a legend and this is one of her very best performances. SMALL SPOILERS LIE AHEAD For the end of the movie she actually starved herself for days and you can tell through her awesome performance. She also actually allowed herself to be dragged down a cobblestone road, ouch!

The San Francisco Silent Film Festival 6th Annual Winter Event, David Jeffers for SIFFblog.com

[rdjeffers · 7 February 2011]

Saturday, February 12, 8pm The Castro, San Francisco

"Oh, Art she is a fickle jade, If you work for her, you'll ne'er be paid!"

An aspiring playwright and a waif fall in love as they struggle to survive a life of poverty in nineteenth-century Paris. Mimi (Lillian Gish) sacrifices her own welfare for the sake of Rodolfe's (John Gilbert) success and pays the ultimate price.

Lillian Gish signed a spectacular two-year, six-picture contract with fledgling MGM studios in May 1925. She chose La Bohème (1926) for her first film and King Vidor for her director. "Suggested by" Henri Murger's Scènes de la vie de bohème, the popular story was well suited for the vast resources of MGM and their ambitious young head of production, Irving Thalberg. Photographed by the legendary Henrik Sartov, highlights include the lovely picnic (a Seurat masterpiece brought to life) and glowing scenes from the theater. Despite an obvious lack of chemistry shared by the principles, the film soars on magnificent production values and Gish's heartbreaking performance in the final reel.

Gish, Gilbert and Vidor

[Michael_Elliott · 26 December 2009]

La boheme (1926)

*** (out of 4)

Based on the Puccini opera, this MGM production had star Lillian Gish being able to pick her story, co-star and director and after screening THE BIG PARADE she knew who she wanted. The film, set in Paris around 1830, tells the story of various starving artists who are living in the Boheme area. Playwright Rodolphe (John Gilbert) is about to be thrown out of his room for not having the rent but he manages to pull some quick cash but seamstress (Gish) isn't so lucky and soon finds herself out on the streets. She catches the eye of Rodolphe and the two soon strike up a relationship. I'll start off by saying that this is a good movie that fans of Gish, Gilbert or Vidor will want to check out but I'll also admit to be rather disappointed because with talent like that you'd wish they would have made a masterpiece instead of something just good. Perhaps that's unfair to wish but to me this entire story wasn't the right material for Vidor and even Gilbert isn't at his very best. To me the story really doesn't work well enough for everything to come into place and work out in the end and I think a lot of this has to do with Vidor letting scenes drag on longer than they needed to. There are countless times where a scene should have been either cut or simply edited down but instead it's left intact and soon grows rather tiresome. What keeps the film moving is the brilliant performance by Gish who really gets into her role and delivers another very memorable character. The somewhat famous final scene with her was extremely well done but so is everything that leads up to it. Gilbert is good but he never really seems overly comfortable in the role. Renee Adoree, George Hassell and Roy D'Arcy round out the cast.