Summary
Set against the cataclysmic dawn of the Great War, Augusto Genina’s 'A Woman Wills' chronicles the metamorphosis of Marion Duval from a rebellious schoolgirl into a pivotal agent of national salvation. Driven by an intoxicating, almost primal patriotism, Marion sheds her social identity to infiltrate the masculine world of the Boy Scouts, an act of subversion that facilitates her first encounter with a dashing cavalry lieutenant. This early masquerade establishes a life-long fixation that transcends mere infatuation, evolving into a sophisticated game of clandestine maneuvers years later. When their paths converge again within the shadows of the government’s secret service, the lieutenant is found compromised by the machinations of a lethal adventuress. Marion, now navigating the world with refined cunning, intervenes to preserve his honor and his life. The narrative reaches its boiling point in a visceral, claustrophobic struggle for stolen military plans, a sequence that pits two archetypes of femininity against one another in a battle of wits and physical prowess, ultimately validating Marion’s agency through a hard-won romantic and political victory.
Synopsis
At the outbreak of the great war in Europe, Marion Duval, a mischievous schoolgirl, is infected with the patriotic fervor that swept over the European State in which she lives. She runs away from school disguises herself in boy's clothing, and joins the Boy Scouts. In this disguise she shares with a dashing cavalry lieutenant several thrilling adventures. In later years she makes a determined effort to renew her acquaintance with this hero of her dreams, who is still unaware of her sex. When she finally meets him once more, she finds him, now a member of his government's secret service, enmeshed in the toils of an adventuress. Taking a hand in the game, she is able to save the lieutenant from disgrace, but only after a series of stirring episodes culminating in a scene when she and the adventuress, locked together in a room, engage in a struggle for the possession of plans of importance. Naturally, her heroism is rewarded with the heart of the handsome lieutenant.
Review Excerpt
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The year 1914 stands as a jagged fault line in human history, and A Woman Wills (alternatively known in its continental context) captures that specific, frenetic electricity of a world on the brink. Directed by the visionary Augusto Genina and starring the incomparable Mistinguett, this film is far more than a mere relic of early silent cinema; it is a sophisticated exploration of identity, agency, and the transformative power of nationalistic fervor. As I sat through the flicker of these cent..."
