The Rage of Paris

1938 Film starring Danielle Darrieux and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.

I developed a crush on Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. while watching this film for the first time a few weeks ago. His character, Jim Trevor, is rude, overly blunt, and a bit of a villain, but charming as can be and clearly smitten by Nicole de Cortillon, the main character. Everyone always talks about James Dean, but I had never heard of Douglas Fairbanks. Could be because I am a Millennial. But I am glad he is my little secret.

The film begins with Nicole, a French woman, eagerly looking for job at a modeling agency in New York City called Towers. When it is clear no one is willing to help her, she decides to pretend to be a model after someone mistakes her to be one. She ends up taking an offer as a nude model (posing with drapes) for $2.75 per hour (worth a lot more today). She was hesitant at first but could not pass up the offer. After a mixup of addresses, she mistakenly goes to see Jim Trevor, who is actually an Advertising executive. He is shocked when she starts to casually undress in front of him, and mocks her in front of his colleagues, having her leave his office frazzled and agitated that he did not come forth sooner about the misunderstanding.

After having no job and rent past due, Nicole’s widowed neighbor Gloria takes her under her wing and encourages her to marry someone rich since she is so pretty. She takes her to see her friend Mike, the head waiter at a posh restaurant at a luxury hotel, to see if he can find her a job. After Mike says he cannot hire her due to the slow season, Gloria comes up with a plan for Mike to fund the women with luxury clothes and a penthouse in the hotel so Nicole could cross paths with a wealthy man, marry him, and provide everyone with money. Nicole ends up meeting Bill Duncan who Mike describes as “owning half of Canada”, and little does she know his best friend is Jim Trevor.

After Bill introduces Jim to Nicole, he immediately remembers who she is and is

clearly amused by the situation. He does not hesitate to taunt her, and tries several times to reveal her true identity to Jim during dinner. Gloria stalls by insisting Bill slow dance with Nicole. Then Mike comedically stalls Jim from talking

to Gloria. The final time at the restaurant table when Jim attempts his blow, Nicole

takes him to the dance floor. This is my favorite scene. Jim insists on getting a

drink with Nicole at the bar, to which she responds angrily that she doesn't want to

drink anything with him. When he threatens to go back to the table, she tells him

she wants a champagne cocktail. He makes her agree to spill the beans to Bill about her true intentions.

“Sorry to be a little rough on you but war is war.”

Of course, Nicole makes a fool of Jim by lying, saying he thought it would be funny if she went to his office to pose as a nude model.

At this point, it is my opinion that Jim is more jealous of his friend than he is actually mad at Nicole for being an alleged hustler. He summons her to his own luxury penthouse for dinner and manipulates the conversation to get her to admit she cannot simply drop the act because $3,000 is on the line (worth about $63,000 today). He runs off to tell Bill and leaves her trapped with his butler Rigley. Nicole manages to charm Rigley with a few magic tricks and gets him to close his eyes as she makes her escape. Bill is shocked to find Nicole and Gloria with Bill in Bill's penthouse, and he leaves discouraged.

The next scene cuts to Bill and Nicole's engagement party at Mike's restaurant, where his relatives are charmed to meet her and her "aunt". Jim suddenly makes an unexpected appearance with Rigley, and Bill is surprised to see him since he was not invited. The two were still not on the best of terms since the dinner incident. Bill punches Jim in the face after Jim said Nicole was in his apartment

asking for $3,000. Nicole ends up running off to find Jim getting in his car, who pretends to be hurt knowing she would try to care for him. He leaves off with her and she is pissed. He takes her to his childhood home (who knows why) and introduces her to his dad, who assumes they are married. To get on Jim's nerves, Nicole says they are.

After they retire to bed in their own rooms, Nicole summons Jim a few times because her window kept shutting and she needed it to stay open because she cannot sleep without fresh air. They exchange a few last words and she indirectly confesses her love for Jim. He ends up accusing her of being a gold digger because he makes more money than Bill, leaving her to cry and screaming at him

to get out of her room. It is clear Jim feels bad and frustrated but doesn't know what to do. The next morning when he goes to fetch Nicole for breakfast, he realizes she ran away. She ended up catching a ride back to the city and plans to return to Paris. Jim runs into Bill, who begins to apologize to him because he found out Nicole is a liar. Jim is elated to hear that Bill no longer wants to marry

Nicole and he says he is going to marry her himself. Bill thinks his friend has gone mad.

The final scene shows Nicole sad on the ship. An employee escorts her to another cabin, which makes her confused. She hears a knock on the door and there is Jim. He declares she is going to be the new Mrs. Trevor, and the happy ending is brought.

This is honestly one of my favorite films, and the actors are so attractive I can't even..