Niniche (1925)

In the French town of Trouville, two worlds exist side by side. There is the capricious, worldly Yvette, who lives in a luxurious apartment in an upscale hotel. Opposite her is the simple Niniche, a cheerful young woman who earns a few francs washing dishes. Yvette longs for her darling, Fernand, but his uncle has serious objections to their relationship, so he sends the burly private detective Jonathan Dickson to Trouville. For added intimidation, Dickson has brought along a bulldog that bears a frightening resemblance to its master. Dickson is supposed to keep a watchful eye on Yvette, to make sure things do not go too far. To document Yvette’s activities, Mr. Dickson has brought a camera with him. There is just one problem: the corpulent Jonathan has no idea what Yvette looks like. So he asks Emil, the little elevator boy who knows all the hotel guests inside out, to take the photographs. But Emil has no time for that and simply hands the camera to Niniche, who, through sheer clumsiness, immediately takes a selfie. So Mr. Dickson has to believe that Niniche is Yvette. Niniche dreams of the wide world beyond, which in her eyes is perfectly embodied by the glamorous dancer Yvette. One day, when a pretty garment of Yvette’s is blown off the balcony, Niniche finds it and returns it to Yvette. Out of gratitude, the glamorous lady gives the little pauper the garment as a gift. The two young women become friends, and Yvette asks Niniche if she would like to be her maid. The little girl, who is always hard up, happily agrees. When Yvette leaves for Paris to visit her lawyer on business, Niniche takes the opportunity to try on her mistress’s splendid clothes. Just then, Jonathan enters the apartment and naturally thinks he is looking at Yvette. Ashamed at having been caught trying on Yvette’s clothes, Niniche does not correct the stranger’s misunderstanding. Dickson is delighted with the supposed Yvette and invites her on an innocent rendezvous outdoors. There, Niniche-as-Yvette meets the American gentleman Harold Clifton, whose wallet she found and promptly relieved of $20. So she has every reason to avoid being discovered by Harold, and she hides in embarrassment behind a floral arrangement, where she promptly falls asleep. Clifton finds her anyway and takes the false Yvette back to the real Yvette’s apartment. When the dancer returns from Paris to her home and sees Niniche lying in her bed, she flies into a rage. Once her anger has subsided, Yvette has an idea. What if she sent Niniche on trips in her place, as her double, to appointments she herself does not feel like attending? So the false Yvette’s first assignment, with Clifton as her chaperone, takes her to Paris again. Unfortunately, while there, Niniche is asked to show off her dancing skills at a charity event, since everyone believes she is the famous dancer. So Niniche quickly pretends to have sprained her ankle. But things get worse: while there, Niniche learns that Yvette has a son, and people now think she is his mother. To finally come clean to Clifton, for whom she, Niniche, is growing increasingly fond, about her true identity, she writes him a touching letter. Clifton is more than delighted by the truth, since the real Yvette’s reputation is not the best. So charmed by Niniche’s sweet way of explaining herself, Clifton, deeply in love, is immediately ready to take the little dishwasher home as his bride.