Demimonde whom Captain Rawdon Crawley lusts after in his younger days. Becky Sharp is perceived as a demimondaine before she is presented at court, and then becomes one when she travels through Europe after her husband abandons her. Possibly the most famous portrayal of the demimonde, albeit from before the word was coined, is in Verdi's opera "La traviata" (1853). The opera, in turn, was inspired by Alexandre Dumas the younger's "La Dame aux Camélias;" Marguerite Gautier, the heroine of the book and subsequent play, was based on Marie Duplessis, 1840s Paris courtesan and mistress to a number of prominent men,
Camille (1921 film) It is presented as a bonus on the DVD copy of the 1936 version "Camille" with Greta Garbo. Camille (1921 film) Camille is a 1921 American silent drama film starring Alla Nazimova as Marguerite and Rudolph Valentino as her lover, Armand. It is based on the play adaptation "La Dame aux Camélias" ("The Lady of the Camellias") by Alexandre Dumas, "fils", which was first published in French as a novel in 1848 and as a play in 1852. "Camille" is one of numerous screen adaptations of Dumas, "fils" story. The film was set in 1920s Paris, whereas the original version