Summary
The narrative of "I Love You" unfurls a tapestry of beauty, artistic obsession, and profound sacrifice, set against the sun-drenched landscapes near Florence. Felice, a peasant girl whose ethereal loveliness earns her the moniker "Passion Flower," becomes the muse for Jules Mardon, a French artist seeking respite and inspiration. His brushstrokes, capturing her essence on canvas, simultaneously capture her heart, only for him to abandon her upon the portrait's completion, retreating to Parisian acclaim and fortune. The painting, now a celebrated masterpiece, ensnares the imagination of Armand de Gautier, a wealthy connoisseur who, captivated by the painted image, embarks on a quest to find and marry its living counterpart. Years later, their idyllic life, blessed by a child, is shattered when Armand, oblivious to the past, commissions Jules to paint his wife and son. The artist, true to his predatory nature, attempts to rekindle his illicit affair. A cruel twist of fate intervenes: as Felice's child succumbs to the ravages of plague, Armand mistakenly believes his wife has forsaken their ailing son for Jules's renewed advances. Desperate to reclaim her honor and save her family, Felice performs an act of harrowing devotion: she kisses her infected child, then, carrying the disease upon her lips, seeks out Jules and delivers a fatal kiss, ensuring his demise and clearing her name. Miraculously, both Felice and her son survive, ultimately reuniting with a repentant Armand, the crucible of suffering having forged a love more resilient than betrayal or pestilence.
Synopsis
Felice, a peasant girl who lives near Florence, Italy, is so beautiful that the villagers call her the "Passion Flower." Jules Mardon, a French artist traveling in Italy for his health, paints Felice, winning her love in the process. Upon the portrait's completion, however, he abandons Felice and returns to Paris, where the painting earns him wealth and fame. Millionaire Armand de Gautier falls in love with Felice's image, buys the portrait, and then seeks out and marries the model. Several years after the birth of the happy couple's child, Armand commissions Jules to paint his wife and son, whereupon the artist again tries to seduce her. When Felice learns that Armand, assuming she has abandoned her plague-stricken child to be with Jules, wants no more to do with her, she kisses her son and then, with the disease on her lips, searches for Jules and kisses him. The artist dies, but Felice and her son survive to be reunited with Armand.
Review Excerpt
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The Enduring Echo of a Silent Passion: A Review of 'I Love You' (1918)
In an era defined by grand gestures and unbridled emotion, the 1918 cinematic offering, 'I Love You', emerges as a potent exemplar of silent melodrama, a tale spun from the threads of beauty, artistic obsession, and ultimately, a love so profound it demands the most harrowing of sacrifices. Penned by the insightful Catherine Carr, this film plunges into the tumultuous currents of human desire, betrayal, and..."
