Louise

Grace Moore, Georges Thill, André Pernet; Abel Gance, dir. This is an abridged version of Louise with spoken dialog in place of some musical selections. The highlights are all there, however. The cuts were made by Charpentier, who also coached Moore in the role. (1938).This 86-minute, black-and-white, 1938 film of Gustave Charpentier's opera Louise is of interest for several reasons. Film buffs will revel in Abel Gance's direction. Best known during the silent era (his Napoléon is an acknowledged masterpiece), Gance's way with shadow and light, his control of crowd scenes, the flow of his narrative, and the way in which he melds silent-movie (or "operatic") gestures with more modern and realistic movement are fascinating to watch. In addition, although there is only about 50 minutes of Charpentier's music here (there's much spoken dialogue--all of it, by the way, in un-subtitled French), the composer himself authorized the cuts, and so the story remains intact and the "sense" of Charpentier's opera remains. But mostly, it is the distinguished performances that carry the day.