Narayana | 1920 | Fantasy

Title: Narayana | 1920 | Fantasy Director: Léon Poirier Studio: Gaumont Série Pax Starring: Laurence Myrga, Edmond Van Daële, Marguerite Madys, Marcelle Souty, Jacques Robert, Charles Norville Based on: La Peau de chagrin by Honoré de Balzac Release Date: 1920 Runtime: 67 Format: Black and white, 35 mm, 1.33:1, silent Country: France Language: Silent Genres: Fantasy, Silent --- Summary: A penniless student encounters a mysterious Oriental statuette that promises to grant five wishes at the cost of his remaining life. As he ascends into wealth and temptation, each fulfilled desire brings him closer to an inexorable fate. Transposing Balzac’s allegory of will, desire, and mortality into a modern setting, the film follows Jacques Hébert and those around him—among them the enigmatic Sari-Yana—as dreamlike imagery and moral choices collide. --- Background: Directed by Léon Poirier and produced by Gaumont Série Pax, the film adapts Balzac’s novel by replacing the talismanic “magic skin” with a wish-granting statuette and situating the story within an Art Deco, oneiric visual world. A recent 4K restoration by Gaumont with the support of the CNC drew from the original nitrate negative and reconstructed intertitles from archival sources. --- Trivia: The director’s transposition emphasizes Art Deco design and atmospheric, dreamlike compositions rather than strict period realism. Contemporary sources list principal cast including Laurence Myrga as Sari-Yana and Edmond Van Daële as Jacques Hébert, with Marcelle Souty appearing as Maroussia. The film’s original French distribution was handled by Comptoir Ciné-Location (C.C.L.). Multiple screen versions of Balzac’s tale appeared around the same time, including the British Desire (1920) and the American The Dream Cheater (1920), underscoring the story’s international appeal. Reported runtimes vary by source and restoration, a common variance for silent-era features due to differing projection speeds and surviving elements. --- Hashtags: Narayana 1920sCinema SilentFilm FrenchCinema LeonPoirier Balzac FantasyFilm Gaumont