Thais

Thais can be the plural of Thai. Or, in the singular it is usually a woman's name, often spelled Thaïs, a word of two syllables.

In the plural it usually refers to:

In the singular it may refer to the following:

People

Classical Greece

Christian Egypt

Thaïs (novel)

Thaïs is a novel by Anatole France published in 1890. It is based on events in the life of Saint Thaïs of Egypt, a legendary convert to Christianity who is said to have lived in the 4th century. It was the inspiration for the opera of the same name by Jules Massenet.

Summary

Paphnuce, an ascetic hermit of the Egyptian desert, journeys to Alexandria to find Thais, the libertine beauty whom he knew as a youth. Masquerading as a dandy, he is able to speak with her about eternity; surprisingly he succeeds in converting her to Christianity. Yet on their return to the desert he becomes fascinated with her former life. She enters a convent to repent of her sins. He cannot forget the pull of her famous beauty, and becomes confused about the values of life. Later, as she is dying and can only see heaven opening before her, he comes to her side and tells her that her faith is an illusion, and that he loves her.

Adaptations

The novel was adapted in 1917 for two silent films, the Italian Thaïs and the American Thais.

Thais (1917 film)

Thais is a 1917 American silent drama film produced by Samuel Goldwyn, and based on the 1890 novel Thaïs by Anatole France. This film featured opera prima donna Mary Garden, making her film debut at the then-lavish weekly salary of US$15,000. Other cast members include Lionel Adams, Crauford Kent, and Charles Trowbridge. This film is considered "one of the most colossal flops in movie history, both artistically and financially".

The novel was also filmed that same year in Italy as Thaïs.

Plot

As described in a film magazine, Thais (Garden), a lustful dancer, tries to get Paphnutius (Revelle) under her power, but since he is a Christian he leaves to become a monk. Later, he returns to reclaim her soul and convinces the petted, spoiled, and lustrous Thais to cast off her riches, luxuries, and friends and to follow in his footsteps. Attempting to live solitary lives, the tortuous remembrance of their past lives causes them to forget everything and rush out into the desert. Thais is rescued by some sisters who take her to a nunnery. Paphnutius, unable to conquer his love for Thais, rushes to the nunnery only to find Thais dying the death of a saint. Her saintliness brings him a realization of his wrongs, and the film ends with his begging forgiveness for bowing to temptation and the strength to continue his work.