Camille was the last First National film in which Talmadge appeared. There is no doubt that its distribution was handled by First National exchanges, but before its release, and even occasionally after, press comments often called it a United Artists picture, presumably because its producer, Joseph M. Schenck, had become the head of United Artists, and the bulk of the picture was shot in the Pickford-Fairbanks Studio in Hollywood, on what became the United Artists lot.
The film was promoted as a modernized version of the Dumas book and play, perhaps in response to Talmadge’s reaction to the exhibitors’ complaints about The Lady and her decision to stick to modern subjects. However, the modernization amounted to little more than giving the women bobbed hair and short skirts. It had very little effect on the plot, and even less on the sentiments of the characters. There is no sign of a modernization of the fallen-woman scenario such as is suggested by T.S. Eliot in “The Waste Land.” A few commentators were unhappy at thus tampering with a classic, and Lilyan Tashman was disappointed to learn, when she was cast as Olympe, that she would not get to wear a crinoline, but in general the modernized version was accepted – indeed, the reviews were ecstatic. The mostly male critics in the trade press and the daily papers raved about Talmadge in particular, extolling her beauty. The fan magazines, whose writers were more often women and whose readership was largely feminine, while not disparaging Talmadge, devote much more space to Gilbert Roland.
Roland had appeared in uncredited bits and small parts in a number of films, starting in 1921, but Camille was his breakthrough performance. He and Talmadge worked well as a couple, both professionally and personally, since they had a very public affair, and he appeared opposite her in her next three films, which were for United Artists.
Long thought to be lost, a work print held by a collector was discovered and as much as could be saved was preserved by the Library of Congress, despite severe deterioration. As well as being in poor condition, this is a work print, and thus does not present the shots and scenes in the order finally decided on by the filmmakers. It is noticeable that shots are repeated with slight variations, clearly awaiting a decision as to precisely which would be chosen. However, it is also true that Niblo was experimenting with scene construction, perhaps inspired by European models, so some of these repetitions might have survived into the finished film. Our programme includes only a single reel of the film, one of the best preserved, which is mostly about Marguerite and Armand’s first meeting. This at least gives some indication of what we have lost.

Ben Brewster, Lea Jacobs