Moulin Chartreuse

F.2010-02-0324b

1953

An advertising firm employee receives a postcard in the mail that inspires him to daydream. In this daydream, which follows the cadence of a faux French noire film, the employee imagines himself as a photographer and his coworkers as the cast of dramatic characters. The plot centers around a chance love affair with a portrait model all while being trailed by a jealous man, possibly one of the model's scorned lovers, and a detective.

This film features many of the same filming locations, such as the Guenther-Bradford & Company Advertising building and the exterior of the Archdiocese of Chicago, and actors, e.g. the Bert Ray Players, as "I Love Lucely."

The film opens with colorful abstract paint being dripped across a clear, transparent canvas (glass?) as the title card "Moulin Chartreuse" appears in white lettering. Gloved hands are visible through the paint. The paint fades away, revealing a woman's hands: one with a red manicure and gaudy ring, the other wearing a black glove.

In the next shot, a secretary flips through a stack of postcards she's received in the mail. Many of these postcards feature famous artwork housed at the Art Institute, and one is a photograph of Water Tower Place. She gives them to a coworker, who then delivers them throughout their office at a design and advertising firm. Upon receiving his card, one worker begins to daydream. This transitions into to the next sequence of the film, centered around this man's daydreams and featuring his coworkers as characters in this imagination.

The daydream begins in the lush green lawns and colorful flower gardens of Lincoln Park, featuring a brief shot of the Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller Monument. The next shot shows two children peering over the edge of the Eli Bates Fountain, followed by shots of other children gathered around the fountain or playing in it. The next shot shows the daydreaming man walking by "La Boutique Fantastique" while dressed in a full suit and carrying a camera. The next aerial shot shows the man approaching a young woman doing her makeup in a parked convertible. The car is parked on S. Throop Street, and the Archdiocese of Chicago is visible in the background across the street. In the next on-the-ground shot, he asks if he can take a photo of her, and she agrees. Holding a cigarette and posing, she slowly walks towards the man, and he lights her cigarette, but she quickly walks away before he can take her portrait. He walks after her, but she brushes him off. Around the corner, another man in a black turtleneck appears and gestures for the photographer to come closer. He then shows the photographer a series of black-and-white nude photographs, and they walk away together.

In the next scene, a mustached man in a grey suit and hat exits a concrete building. He opens his jacket to reveal a silver detective badge, which he polishes with a handkerchief. The scene cuts to the photographer and other man walking together, arm-in-arm. They walk down S. Throop Street next to the Archdiocese, and this shot cuts to a man in a striped shirt looking out a third-story window, and the two men approach his residence. In the next scene, a painter mixes a palette as his subject, a topless woman, poses for her portrait. The photographer and his companion enter the studio, trying to get a glimpse of the topless woman. Realizing the presence of this new company, the painter throws down his palette in frustration. His assistant attempts to console him, but he angrily gestures for everyone to leave his studio. Now just the two of them, the assistant continues to console the painter, and they share a kiss. Outside the studio, the photographer helps the model re-dress, and helps her put on her shoe. They share a cigarette in the hallway.

The next scene cuts to the photographer, the turtleneck-wearing man, and the model walking together outside. This cuts to a shot of the man in the striped shirt cursing at them from his open window. The Guenther-Bradford & Company Advertising sign is visible in the following shot of the three companions walking across the lawn. The man in the turtleneck parts ways while the photographer and model walk together and pass by the Waldorf Astoria on Walton Street. Holding hands, they stop to flirt by a wall. The camera pans to the other side of the brick wall, where the man in the striped shirt angrily pounds his fists on the wall and eavesdrops on their conversation. He throws his lit cigarette on the ground and storms off.

In the next scene, the detective is sitting on a bench and reading "La Presse," a French newspaper, with the headline "L'echange des captifs debutera le 5 aout." He wiggles his eyebrows and raises his newspaper as the photographer and model pass by, with the man in the striped shirt in close pursuit. A second blonde woman with a bob trails behind the man in the striped shirt. In a following shot, the detective opens a book from inside his jacket, puts down his newspaper, and walks off.

The next scene opens with establishing shots of the exterior of the Archdiocese of Chicago. The camera slowly pans up towards the top of the building's spire. This shot cuts to a couple reading "Paris After Dark" by Art Buchwald over a candlelit dinner in a restaurant. At another table, the photographer and model share a glass of wine. This shot cuts to a close-up of another man's right arm, focusing on a tattoo of a nude woman with the words "Se Soir?" The camera pans down towards his martini glass, and he shares a toast with his companion. The next few shots rotate among the three different couples enjoying drinks and cigarettes while all seated at different tables in the restaurant. In the next shot, pianist in suspenders drinks two glasses and lights a cigarette while a man and a woman dressed in dark clothing tango near a window. The silhouette of a performer appears in the doorway, and the patrons turn to look at her. When she enters the spotlight, she is wearing an orange gown and pearl earrings and necklace. She leans against the wall and begins to sing. Close-up shots of her singing are juxtaposed with aerial footage of the pianist's hands playing the music and of the patrons continuing to drink and converse with each other. A waiter gives the check to the book-reading couple, who pay their bill in coins. He shakes his head no, and the man rifles through his pockets before procuring a stack of French paper money. The waiter smiles and accepts this payment. This scene cuts to the photographer and model walking outside in the night. This is followed by a close-up shot of a siamese cat on the sidewalk before cutting back to the couple, who are now entering an apartment building. They ascend the stairs together, briefly pausing to embrace by a window. This is cut to an angled shot of a lit ceiling lamp in a dark room, which pans down to reveal the couple, now embracing and kissing underneath the lamp. This scene is immediately cut to more footage of the Archdiocese of Chicago before cutting to black.

The next scene shows the next morning, and the same siamese cat is still on the sidewalk in the daylight. This cuts to a shot of the detective peering out from behind a tree. He is writing something in his pocketbook. The following shot reveals he is scoping out the apartment building that the couple entered the previous night. This cuts to a shot of the man in the striped shirt, smoking a cigarette and leaning against a brick wall. This cuts back to the orange doorway, where the man is seen exiting the apartment building with the woman, who is now wearing an orange dress. As they walk together, they pass by the tree the detective was previously behind, and are stopped by the man in the striped shirt. He grabs the woman, and the photographer begins to fight him. Their confrontation is interrupted by a close-up shot of the man in the striped shirt's hand pulling a silver pistol from his pocket. This is followed by a zooming-in close-up shot of the model screaming with her hands clutched to her face.

In the next scene, the camera pans down a faded mural to the detective, who is reading the same French newspaper. This cuts to the photographer and model running down Michigan Avenue down the stairs into Lower Wacker Drive, followed closely by the man in the striped shirt, who is also being followed by the blonde woman from the previous night. They all go down the stairs, one after the other. The next shot shows the detective racing after all of them, newspaper in hand. All of the characters descend into the dark. A chase ensues. The photographer and model hide behind a stone column, but are quickly found by the man in the striped shirt, who shoots the photographer in the torso. This is followed by a close-up shot of the model pulling a knife from her pantyhose. She stabs the man in the striped shirt just before the blonde woman appears. The two begin to fight. This altercation is cut by shots of the detective popping out from behind stone columns and slowly approaching the scene. He arrives and shakes his head sadly. He pulls out his pocketbook and takes a statement from the blonde woman, who quickly runs off. The detective trails her as she runs up the stairs. She runs to the bridge, and crawls over the side, implying her jumping into the Chicago River. The detective runs to the bridge, now vacant, and stares into the river, followed by a close-up shot of the water. The final shot shows the detective tipping his hat and walking away, back to the city.

The credits card reads "finis" in the same abstract paint style as the title card.

16mm

800 feet

Color

Silent

1/1

Yes

Work Prints

Drama

Amateur

Art
Love
Murders
Office workers