"Carmen" was in effect, a silent version of the famed opera, directed by Cecil B. De Mille and starring the legendary opera star Geraldine Farrar. It's actually a drama but with Ms. Farrar in the lead, the viewer was left to his/her own imagination in terms of the operatic version of the story.
Cafe owner Pastia (Horace B. Carpenter) is a smuggler of contraband working with a local tribe of gypsies. He tries to bribe a young army officer Don Jose (Wallace Reid) to allow him to bring the goods through a breach in the wall surrounding the settlement but fails.
At the gypsy camp, gypsy girl Carmen (Geraldine Farrar) offers to go to the town and "charm" Don Jose into complying. She takes a job in a local factory in order not to arouse suspicion as to her true intentions. She does manage to lure the love struck Don Jose away from the wall long enough to allow Pastia and his gang to bring in the smuggled goods.
At the factory, Carmen gets into a fight with another worker and is arrested by Morales (Billy Elmer). As she is being taken off to prison Don Jose, Morales and Carmen go to Pastia's cafe where a fight breaks out between Don Jose and Morales. Don Jose kills Morales thus becoming a fugitive himself. The gypsies take him to their camp where he meets Carmen who had also escaped to the camp. Don Jose professes his love to Carmen but she rejects him, having no further use for him.
Carmen decides to run off to Seville with toreador Escamillo (Pedro de Cordoba). Don Jose learns of this and follows them to Seville, confronts Carmen and.............................................
The petite Ms. Farrar having had extensive experience on the operatic stage, adapts to acting on the screen easily. This was her first film of a five year film career. She would appear in several other De Mille films during this period. Wallace Reid was a good ten years her junior but it doesn't show here. He was on the brink of becoming one Hollywood's first major stars. He too would work for De Mille again. His well documented personal problems cut short his career at the age of 32 in 1923.
Charlie Chaplin filmed "A Burlesque on Carmen" the following year in which he made fun of the classic drama/opera.
Cafe owner Pastia (Horace B. Carpenter) is a smuggler of contraband working with a local tribe of gypsies. He tries to bribe a young army officer Don Jose (Wallace Reid) to allow him to bring the goods through a breach in the wall surrounding the settlement but fails.
At the gypsy camp, gypsy girl Carmen (Geraldine Farrar) offers to go to the town and "charm" Don Jose into complying. She takes a job in a local factory in order not to arouse suspicion as to her true intentions. She does manage to lure the love struck Don Jose away from the wall long enough to allow Pastia and his gang to bring in the smuggled goods.
At the factory, Carmen gets into a fight with another worker and is arrested by Morales (Billy Elmer). As she is being taken off to prison Don Jose, Morales and Carmen go to Pastia's cafe where a fight breaks out between Don Jose and Morales. Don Jose kills Morales thus becoming a fugitive himself. The gypsies take him to their camp where he meets Carmen who had also escaped to the camp. Don Jose professes his love to Carmen but she rejects him, having no further use for him.
Carmen decides to run off to Seville with toreador Escamillo (Pedro de Cordoba). Don Jose learns of this and follows them to Seville, confronts Carmen and.............................................
The petite Ms. Farrar having had extensive experience on the operatic stage, adapts to acting on the screen easily. This was her first film of a five year film career. She would appear in several other De Mille films during this period. Wallace Reid was a good ten years her junior but it doesn't show here. He was on the brink of becoming one Hollywood's first major stars. He too would work for De Mille again. His well documented personal problems cut short his career at the age of 32 in 1923.
Charlie Chaplin filmed "A Burlesque on Carmen" the following year in which he made fun of the classic drama/opera.