Adapted from Émile Zola's novel of the same name, L'Argent is an all-too-timely work of filmmaking loosely based off of the 1882 collapse of Union Générale bank, which subsequently crashed the stock market and plunged France into a decade-long recession. Helmed by Marcel L'Herbier, one of the original members of French cinema's avant-garde, the film uses Zola's tale of mid-1800s stock market speculation to comment on the 1920s greed-fueled fascination with global economies. The story centers on the unscrupulous Nicolas Saccard, played by Pierre Alcover, who makes a bad bet, loses his societal standing and his mistress, and tries to recoup it all by backing an aviator with a daredevil plan to cross the Atlantic to exploit raw materials in the New World.
L’Argent is L’Herbier’s silent-era swan song. Known for his ability to translate artistic and innovative sensibilities into commercial fare, L’Herbier designed the film to compete with the super-productions coming out of France, United States, and Germany at the time. It is thus bursting with state-of-the-art techniques, a big-name international cast, 1500 extras, and was shot by France’s highest paid cameraman at the time, Jules Krüger. L’Herbier made use of a dozen cameramen flying on pulleys and dollies, as well as an unmanned camera that descended and revolved to capture the stock exchange in full frenzy. Even as the pilot embarks on his trans-Atlantic flight, action on the stock market floor intensifies in a montage of Eisensteinian proportions.
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- The Making of L’Argent (Autour de L’Argent) - A pioneering documentary, directed by L’Herbier’s assistant Jean Dreville, featuring incredible footage of the cast and crew during the actual production as well as the director’s comments recorded later in 1971 (39 minutes).
- The Two Restorations of Autour de L’Argent - A restoration demonstration of Autour de L’Argent with Serge Bromberg (5 min).
- Prometheus, Banker (Prométhée Banquier) - A perfect thematic complement to L’Argent, complete with new restoration, this short film by Marcel L’Herbier tells the story of a banker-seducing vampire (15 minutes).
- Souvenir Booklet - Featuring an essay by Mireille Beaulieu and collection of unique photographs and promotional material recently discovered in Mrs. L’Herbier’s collection.
- Photo Gallery - A slide show presentation of vintage marketing materials, behind-the-scene stills and more from L’Argent.