History Film / LaRoue

->''"I know that Creation is a Great Wheel which cannot move without crushing someone!"''\\

-- '''Creator/VictorHugo''', as quoted at the start of the film

* SwingLowSweetHarriet: Sisif becomes attracted to Norma when he sees her doing this.

''La Roue'' ("The Wheel") is a 1923 French silent film written and directed by Abel Gance, who would go on to write and direct ''{{Film/Napoleon}}''. The "wheel" of the title is a recurring motif throughout the film, and is ultimately a metaphor for life itself.

After widowed railroad engineer Sisif finds an orphaned baby girl named Norma, he adopts her to raise alongside his biological son Elie. Fifteen years later, SheIsAllGrownUp, and Sisif is acting like the BoyfiendBlockingDad. In truth, he is attracted to his own adopted daughter. Elie, who has become a violin maker, is also attracted to Norma because of course he is. Sisif makes the mistake of revealing the truth to unscrupulous businessman Jacques de Hersan, who is (you guessed it) attracted to Norma. After a bit of {{Blackmail}}, Hersan gets Norma's hand in marriage and takes her away to live with him in Paris. Meanwhile, Sisif's eyesight is damaged in an accident, and he is reassigned to run a funicular train in the Alps. Norma, who is unhappy in her marriage, visits the same area with her jealous husband. Suffice it to say that their reunion with Sisif and Elie is not a happy one.

After widowed railroad engineer Sisif finds an orphaned baby girl named Norma, he adopts her to raise alongside his biological son Elie. Fifteen years later, SheIsAllGrownUp, and Sisif is acting the OverprotectiveDad. In truth, he is attracted to his own adopted daughter. Elie, who has become a violin maker, is also attracted to Norma because of course he is. Sisif makes the mistake of revealing the truth to unscrupulous businessman Jacques de Hersan, who is (you guessed it) attracted to Norma. After a bit of {{Blackmail}}, Hersan gets Norma's hand in marriage and takes her away to live with him in Paris. Meanwhile, Sisif's eyesight is damaged in an accident, and he is reassigned to run a funicular train in the Alps. Norma, who is unhappy in her marriage, visits the same area with her jealous husband. Suffice it to say that their reunion with Sisif and Elie is not a happy one.

* OverprotectiveDad: Sisif doesn't like other men looking at Norma nor does he like her dressing in a way that's likely to get their attention. [[PervertDad He has his reasons.]]

Upon its original release, ''La Roue'' came in at a whopping 32 reels, running for either (sources are conflicting on this) seven and a half or nine hours. While the 1923 theatrical cut initially seen publicly ran for 140 minutes, the most frequently-seen and circulated version currently in existence is "only" four and a half hours, although a 2019 restoration added over two further hours of rediscovered footage to yield a 'full cut' (or the closest possible equivalent modern audiences may ever see) clocking in at an astounding ''six hours and 57 minutes''.

Upon its original release, ''La Roue'' came in at a whopping nine hours. The most frequently-seen and circulated version currently in existence is "only" four and a half hours, although a 2019 restoration added over two further hours of rediscovered footage, yielding a 'full cut' (or the closest possible equivalent modern audiences may ever see) clocking in at an astounding ''six hours and 57 minutes''.

* TheSmurfettePrinciple: In four and a half hours, Norma is pretty much the only female character who matters.

Upon its original release, ''La Roue'' came in at a whopping nine hours. The version we have today is "only" four and a half hours.

* LiteralCliffhanger: When Elie and Hersan's fight on top of a cliff, Elie goes over the edge, leaving him clinging on for dear life. [[DisneyVillainDeath He eventually loses his grip.]]

After widowed railroad engineer Sisif finds an orphaned baby girl named Norma, he adopts her to raise alongside his biological son Elie. Fifteen years later, SheIsAllGrownUp, and Sisif is acting the OverprotectiveDad. In truth, he is attracted to his own adopted daughter. Elie, who has become a violin maker, is also attracted to Norma because of course he is. Sisif makes the mistake of revealing the truth to unscrupulous businessman Jacques de Hersan, who is (you guessed it) attracted to Norma. After a bit of {{Blackmail}}, Hersan gets Norma's hand in marriage and takes her away to live with him in Paris. Meanwhile, Sisif's eyesight is damaged in an accident, and he is reassigned to run a funicular train in the Alps. Norma, who is unhappy in her marriage, visits the same place with her jealous husband. Suffice it to say that their reunion with Sisif and Elie is not a happy one.

''La Roue'' ("The Wheel") is a 1923 French silent film written and directed by Abel Gance, who would go on to write and direct ''{{Film/Napoleon}}''. The "wheel" referenced by the title is a recurring motif throughout the film, and is ultimately a metaphor for life itself.

''La Roue'' ("The Wheel") is a 1923 French silent film written and directed by Abel Gance, who would go on to write and direct ''{{Film/Napoleon}}''. Upon its original release, it came in at a whopping nine hours. The version we have today is "only" four and a half hours.

After widowed railroad engineer Sisif finds an orphaned baby girl named Norma, he adopts her to raise alongside his biological son Elie. Fifteen years later, SheIsAllGrownUp, and Sisif is acting the OverprotectiveDad. In truth, he is attracted to his own adopted daughter. Elie, who has become a violin maker, is also attracted to Norma because of course he is. Sisif makes the mistake of revealing the truth to unscrupulous businessman Jacques de Hersan, who is (you guessed it) attracted to Norma. After a bit of {{Blackmail}}, Hersan gets Norma's hand in marriage and takes her away to live with him in Paris. Meanwhile, Sisif's eyesight is damaged in an accident, and he is reassigned to run a funicular train in the Alps. Norma, who is unhappy in her marriage, visits the same place with her jealous husband. Suffice it to say that their reunion with Sisif and Elie is not a happy way.

-->''"I know that Creation is a Great Wheel which cannot move without crushing someone!"''\\