Summary
Monsieur Picard exists as a fascinating paradox within the smoky, jazz-adjacent corridors of post-Great War Paris; he is simultaneously a decorated chevalier of the Croix De Guerre and a phantasmal virtuoso of larceny who leaves the Sûreté Nationale in a state of perpetual embarrassment. This dualistic existence fractures when Picard, amidst the visceral intensity of an Apache dance, discovers the perilous health of his foster child, necessitating a desperate flight that brings him into the orbit of the high-born Helen Deprenay. After a polite but firm commandeering of her vehicle—leaving his military honors as a pledge of his essential nobility—Picard finds himself ensnared in a moral labyrinth where Helen’s refusal to condone his criminality acts as a mirror to his own soul. Under the guise of Armand DuBois, a Scotland Yard investigator, he navigates the Deprenay estate’s social strata during a high-stakes necklace theft, eventually pivoting from a predator of the elite to their unexpected savior. By dismantling a predatory stock market machination that threatens the community’s financial foundations, Picard orchestrates a grand illusion of his own demise, discarding the mantle of the 'Rogue' to pursue a legitimate existence alongside Helen, effectively transcending the cyclical nature of his previous transgressions.
Synopsis
A welcome guest of the French aristocracy, Monsieur Picard having been awarded the Croix De Guerre, is also a master thief who baffles the Parisian police. One night, while Picard watches an Apache dance, he learns that one of his three adopted children is seriously ill. When his car breaks down, Picard politely forces Helen Deprenay to loan him her auto, and leaves his cross as security. The next day, the police pursue Picard to the Deprenay home where the prefect warns Helen about Picard. Helen writes to the entreating Picard, and refuses to see him until he proves himself of worth to society. Disguised as Scotland Yard agent Armand DuBois, Picard is present at the Deprenay home when a necklace is stolen. After Helen covers for him, Picard catches the thief in an attempt to swindle the entire community in a stock market scheme. He informs the police that Picard no longer exists, and escapes with Helen to a new life.
Review Excerpt
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In the pantheon of silent-era narratives that grapple with the precarious balance between societal obligation and individualistic rebellion, A Rogue's Romance stands as a luminous, albeit often overlooked, testament to the transformative power of the 'gentleman thief' archetype. Directed by James Young, the film serves as a sophisticated vessel for Earle Williams, whose portrayal of Monsieur Picard navigates the treacherous waters of Parisian high society and the subterranean grit of the crimi..."
