Zaza (1915 film)

Zaza
Zaza
	Contemporary newspaper advertisement.
Directed by	Edwin S. Porter; Hugh Ford;
Written by	David Belasco (play)
Based on	Zaza; by Pierre Berton and Charles Simon [fr]
Produced by	Adolph Zukor; Charles Frohman;
Starring	Pauline Frederick
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	November 11, 1915;
Running time	50 minutes
Country	United States
Languages	Silent; English intertitles;

Zaza is a 1915 American silent romantic drama film produced by Famous Players Film Company in association with the Charles Frohman Company, and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film was directed by Edwin S. Porter and Hugh Ford and stars Pauline Frederick in the title role. The film is based on the 1899 French stage play of the same name that starred Mrs. Leslie Carter,^[1] and the American adaptation by David Belasco.

Zaza's original release date was scheduled for October 4, 1915. A nitrate fire at the Famous Players studio on September 11, 1915, caused the film's release to be delayed until November 11.^[2] The film is now considered lost.^[3]^[4]^[5]

Cast

Pauline Frederick as Zaza
Julian L'Estrange as Bernard Dufrene
Ruth Sinclair as Madame Dufrene
Maude Granger as Aunt Rosa
Blanche Fisher as Louise
Helen Sinnott as Nathalie
Mark Smith as Cascart
Charles Butler as Duc de Brissac
Walter Craven as Dubois
Madge Evans as Child (uncredited)

Other adaptations

The play was adapted for the screen again in 1923 starring Gloria Swanson, and in 1939, starring Claudette Colbert.^[6]

References

^ Lombardi, Frederic (2013). Allan Dwan and the Rise and Decline of the Hollywood Studios. McFarland. pp. 128, 130. ISBN 978-0-786-43485-5.
^ "Zaza". SilentEra.com. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
^ Tarbox, Charles H. (1983). Lost Films, 1895-1917. Film Classic Exchange. p. 245.
^ "Zaza (1915)". Stanford.edu. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
^ "Zaza / Edwin S Porter [Motion Picture]". LoC.gov. Library of Congress. Archived from the original on November 21, 2016.
^ Carr, Larry (1970). Four Fabulous Faces: Swanson, Garbo, Crawford, Dietrich. Penguin Books. p. 40.