Nana

After she took over direction from George Fitzmaurice and restructured the film, Nana is Arzner’s only production in which she directly addresses prostitution. Loosely based on Émile Zola’s novel, it details young Parisian Nana’s transformation from sex worker to theatre star, while balancing an ample love life. In intertwining prostitution and the stage, Arzner presents a playfully ambiguous exploration of performance and sexuality.