After his best friend is killed by the ruthless Marquis de la Tour d'Azyr, André-Louis Moreau takes up the cause of The French Revolution. Along the way, he romances the beautiful Aline de Kercadiou, and joins a Commedia dell'Arte troupe in which he plays the role of... Scaramouche.
It was remade in 1952. The 1923 version is closer to the book.
This film provides examples of:
- Anachronism Stew: Papillons wasn't written until 1831.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: Are they ever. It is a movie set during the French Revolution, after all.
- Fat Bastard: The King's Lieutenant is overweight, corrupt, and unpleasant in general. Challefau Binet initially seems like he will be Big Fun instead, but he also turns out to be this trope.
- Full-Circle Revolution: Downplayed. The aristocrats are the only villains for most of the movie, but at the end, it's a revolutionary mob that's causing the trouble. However, Andre-Louis is ultimately able to reason with the mob, which he was never able to do with the aristocrats.
- Gorgeous Period Dress: The film did not stint on this. Lots and lots of fancy dresses and wigs used to evoke aristocratic France.
- Historical Domain Character: Georges Danton
is a character. - Just Friends: "I am deeply grateful, Monsieur, but I consented to see you only to tell you that there can never be more than friendship between us."
- Luke, I Am Your Father: The Marquis is Andre-Louis's father. The twist remains surprising because until that moment, Andre's parentage had not been important.
- Non-Action Guy: Tragically, Philippe knows how to fight with words, but not with the sword.
- Revenge: Andre-Louis' whole motivation
- The Revolution Will Not Be Vilified: For the most part, the revolutionaries are the good guys and the aristocrats are the bad guys. It's not played entirely straight, however, what with some sympathetic aristocratic characters and a climax that involves an out-of-control revolutionary mob.
- Roguish Poacher: The film begins with a peasant having been executed for poaching on the Marquis' land. We are meant to sympathize with the slain poacher, who was presumably desperate for food, and to see the Marquis as evil. In fact, this is how the Marquis is first established as the bad guy.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: "Monsieur, I had pictured Justice as blind, but beautiful. Today I find that Justice is not blind - not to rank and wealth."
- Shaming the Mob: Andre-Louis convinces a revolutionary mob to spare two aristocratic women because they are his mother and fiancée."Citizens! It is for you to decide! Do you owe this to Moreau?"
- Thicker Than Water: Andre-Louis initially plans to save only Aline from the mob, saying that he considers Countess de Plougastel to be a traitor to the Revolution. Only when it's revealed that the countess is his birth mother does he agree to save her as well.
- Torches and Pitchforks: An angry mob is going around killing aristocrats at the climax of the movie.
- War Was Beginning: The film begins with the text, "The reign of Louis XVI, King of France, marked the passing of the French Monarchy. Bankrupt, abandoned to the rule of an all-powerful Nobility and an indifferent Clergy, the nation faced starvation - or revolt."
- Young Future Famous People: No movie about the French Revolution is complete without a cameo by a young Napoléon Bonaparte.
