The Lady With the Camelias

An adaptation of the 1852 play La dame aux camélias by Alexandre Dumas fils (from his own 1848 novel), the film follows the structure of the play and is divided into five acts, marked by title cards. Act 1: Armand Duval meets the courtesan Marguerite at a ball. When she suddenly feels ill, he is the only one to help her. Act 2: Armand and Marguerite have fallen in love, and she turns away her former lover, Baron Gustave. Act 3: Armand and Marguerite are living happily at a country house. While Armand is away, his father arrives, and tells Marguerite that her questionable reputation has put Armand's entire family in disrepute. She sacrifices herself and leaves Armand. Act 4: In a gambling-hall a year later, the two meet again. Armand is still bitter because he believes that Marguerite has left him for lack of love. He throws money in her face to mark her as a whore. Act 5: Marguerite lies dying from tuberculosis in an attic room. Armand arrives and they declare their love for each other, whereupon she dies.