Parisette

I saw the Gaumont restoration at New York's Museum of Modern Art. The running time was about 6 hours and 20 minutes.

A melodramatic serial in 12 episodes with some comic touches, it lacks the surrealistic side of the influential earlier Feuillade serials such as Fantômas (1913), Les Vampires (1915) and Judex (1916).

Costumes and sets are well done as is location shooting in and around Paris and Nice.

Georges Biscot (male lead) is the only outstanding actor. He seems to be a product of music hall or popular comedy, making faces and adding most of the humor. Sandra Milovanoff (female lead Parisette) dances the ballet warhorse "Death of a Swan" quite well. René Clair (Parisette's love interest) is better as a director.