Is it crazy that Pierre Revel was my favorite character?? This is probably just a testament to the impeccable screen presence of Adolphe Menjou, who gives one of many fantastic performances throughout the movie. I found this to be an incredible display of the luxurious lifestyles and devil-may-care attitudes of the 1920s (oh my god, THE FASHION 😍), and while the events do lead up to an extremely dramatic climax, many of the events felt very realistic and avoided slipping into the territories of over-the-top melodrama and outlandish scandal. Marie isn't portrayed as a gold-digger or a thieving seductress - she, along with the other fantastic women who appear in the film, is just another young beauty living the best life that 1920s Paris can offer her. They may not be the high society wives, but the stories of their lives, loves and losses are just as deserving of our attention and empathy. The lack of judgement towards these "other women" is refreshing to see in art from any decade, and I have to say I was very surprised that a Charlie Chaplin movie from 100 years ago provided this kind of insight! My only qualm (and it's a small one) is the film's ending, it was a little too preachy for me. On the other hand, I could just be biased - I am team Pierre, after all 😉