L'Inhumaine (1924)

 Marcel L'Herbier's "L'Inhumaine"

In 1923, French filmmaker Marcel L'Herbier's life began to collapse after he suffered from a bout of typhoid. His recent film, "Resurrection," was a financial failure and caused him to go into an economic depression. L'Herbier was known for being an avant-garde theorist of filmmaking, handling creative ventures that no one had seen before. Because of his well-known artistic stature, an opera singer named Georgette Leblanc, reached out to her friend L'Herbier, and offered to help produce his next film, with the help of American financers. The two ended up creating the 1924 film, "L'Inhumaine," which encompassed the mass artistic convergence of the popular modernist art forms at the time. 

The plot of the film is simple. Many critics of the film consider the plot too simple, in fact, and point to the plot as being the film's primary weakness. The protagonist, played by Leblanc, is a famous singer named Claire Lescot. Lescot lives on the outskirts of Paris and is courted by many men. One of the men, a scientist named Einar Norsen, seems to have killed himself after being rejected by the socialite. The singer's indifference sparks heated uproar among the populace, who call her 'L'inhumaine,' or 'The Inhumane.' When visiting the corps at the morgue, she reveals that she was actually in love with him. Upon this revelation, another revelation occurs when the scientist appears alive, telling her that he faked his own death. He then shows her his modern, scientific marvels. One of these marvels is a device that lets her broadcast her singing voice all over the world, and even allows her live look-ins on those who can hear. Jealous of the two, a maharajah who was trying to court the solialite, poisons her. After her death, the scientist brings her back to life with one of his inventions.

Despite the stale plot, the visual aesthetics are what make the film memorable. L'Herbier allowed the project to be a beacon for modern artists everyone. He employed painter Fernand Leger to create the mechanical laboratory in the film. Architect Robert Mallet-Stevens designed the exteriors of houses, making them with cubist elements. Alberto Cavalcanti and Claude Autant-Lara were responsible for the winter-garden sets, the funeral vautls, and the geometric design of the dining hall. Costumes were designed by Paul Poiret, furniture by Pierre Chareau and Michel Dufet, jewellery by Raymond Templier, and other objects were created by Rene Lalique and Jean Puiforcat. L'Herbier also enlisted Jean Borlin and the Ballets Suedois to choreograph the scenes. The bind this all together, Darius Millhaud was employed to orchestrate an extensive score. The brining together of all these well-known modern artists created a visual marvel of modern art in itself. Many film historians saw this film as a 'manifesto of art deco.' 

Because of how immaculately the film is designed by modern artists, "L'Inhumaine" can be looked at as being a masterpiece of visual set design. However, many view this as the only redeeming quality of the film. This is especially true at the time of the film's release. When it opened in 1924, the film was a financial disaster. Many recount that the audiences who watched the film were in uproar, many getting into fistfights. The film seemed to represent some sort of elitist attitude toward critics and audiences. According to critic Leon Moussinac, "There are many inventions, but they count too much for themselves and not enough for the film."