Mimi (1935)

Set in 19th century Paris, the mistress (Gertrude Lawrence) of a successful middle aged actor (Austin Trevor) leaves him for a penniless struggling playwright (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.). She inspires him to create rather than indulge himself in his previous life of carousing with his Bohemian friends in cafes. Based on the novel LA VIE DE BOHEME by Henri Murger and directed by Paul L. Stein (THE LOTTERY BRIDE). Murger's book was the basis of the Puccini opera LA BOHEME, its most well known incarnation but Lillian Gish gave an excellent performance in a silent version in 1926 and it provided the source for the Broadway musical RENT and its story has inspired countless other films like Baz Luhrmann's MOULIN ROUGE (2001) among many others. This version is a rather awkward rendition. It captures the period wonderfully but the dialogue is stilted and then there's Gertrude Lawrence. A lauded and admired stage actress (she starred in the original productions of PRIVATE LIVES, LADY IN THE DARK, THE KING AND I), Lawrence was one of those stage actresses who didn't register well on film and she has zero chemistry with Fairbanks Jr. They do give her two songs to sing, however. With Diana Napier, Richard Bird, Carol Goodner, Harold Warrender and Norma Varden.