Zaza 1923

6.1 / 10   20 vote(s)
NR
Romance Drama Comedy

Zaza is an actress and the favorite at an open-air theater in a small French town. When diplomat Bernard Dufresne comes to the village, he stays away for fear he will fall for her. But during one performance, while Zaza is singing on a swing, her rival cuts the rope and she falls. Zaza is badly injured and she makes Dufresne's acquaintance. A romance quickly springs up and he installs her in a villa. Their happiness is marred, however, when his wife appears.

Release Date 1923-10-21
Runtime 1h 24m
Directors Allan Dwan, Harold Rosson
Producers Adolph Zukor, Allan Dwan
Writers Pierre Berton (Montan), Albert S. Le Vino, Charles Simon

You really have to hand it to Gloria Swanson in this - she goes at it full tilt! "Zaza" is a music hall girl. A bit rough round the edges, but she's a decent sort of soul who falls for the womanising "Dufresne" (H.B. Warner) only to discover he is a true cad... The story is pretty predictable, but the journey is a hell of a ride - we even have a cracking cat fight between her and her rival "Florianne" (Mary Thurman) and there are a few quite enchanting scenes with the young "Cecille" (Helen Mack). There is plenty of humour - verging on the bawdy at times, and it is used effectively to demonstrate the best and worst in human nature. There's a lot of acting here, and though the plot doesn't challenge, it is still joy to watch.

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