Charlotte Corday

• Release Year: 1914
• Run Time: 4rl minutes

Plot

Most people know the story of Charlotte Corday via its surrealist presentation in Peter Weiss' spectacular stage piece Marat/Sade. Unlike the Weiss piece, this four-reel adaptation of the story concentrates on personalities rather than its long-ranging political ramifications. In the title role, Constance Crawley plays the idealistic Corday as an avenging angel, determined to punish French revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat (Arthur Maude) for his perceived betrayal of the Revolution. After two false starts, Corday manages to stalk into Marat's house, then stabs the poor man to death as he reclines in his bathtub. A fabricated romantic subplot was added to the proceedings to "pep up" the show. Charlotte Corday was produced by the short-lived firm of Kennedy Features. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide