Louise

What was it about opera diva Grace Moore that attracted the attention of filmdoms top directors Moores 1937 American movie vehicle When Youre in Love had been directed by Josef Von Sternberg two years later her French starrer Louise was helmed by no less than Abel Gance who a decade earlier had revolutionized the historical epic genre with the awesome Napoleon There was however little that was revolutionary in this cinemadaption of Gustave Charpentiers opera Moore plays Louise a poor seamstress who is led astray by the rakish Julien Georges Thill After falling from grace no pun intended our heroine is rescued by her understanding father Andre Pernet who demonstrates his forgiveness by singing to her it is after all an opera Though it played to enthusiastic crowds in both London and Paris Louise turned out to be Grace Moores final film conversely Abel Gance continued to make commercial potboilers well into the 1970s