"Lady Windermere's Fan" is an enjoyable old silent film, though it's far from perfect. First, the film seems as if it's missing some intertitle cards and as we watched the film, I had to explain some of the plot to my daughter. As a fan of silents, I understood a lot of what was implied in the plot--and you might just find it a tiny bit hard to follow. Second, the film is based on a single plot idea that COULD have been worked through very easily had the husband just talked to his wife early in the movie--and it's hard to base an entire film on this. But, on the other hand, the story is quite enjoyable and it had some nice twists here and there that kept my interest throughout.
The film begins with a loving husband receiving a cryptic note. He goes to the appointed place and is surprised to see his wife's mother--a woman who was supposed to have died many years earlier and who had a sordid reputation. She wants him to pay her not to reveal herself to the wife--in other words she's blackmailing him. This really didn't make a lot of sense, though, as her later character was nothing like this...hmm,...perhaps I should have also listed this as a problem with the film in my first paragraph! When the husband is seen visiting his mother-in-law by some other society folks, they begin to spread rumors--not realizing or caring to know his intent. And, an evil opportunist jerk (played by Ronald Colman) decides to exploit this to try to break up the happy marriage. How will all this turn out, see the film for yourself--as there is a lot more to the film's interesting plot.
If you love silents, you'll no doubt love this film. If not, well, see it anyway--as it's still a pretty good film!
The film begins with a loving husband receiving a cryptic note. He goes to the appointed place and is surprised to see his wife's mother--a woman who was supposed to have died many years earlier and who had a sordid reputation. She wants him to pay her not to reveal herself to the wife--in other words she's blackmailing him. This really didn't make a lot of sense, though, as her later character was nothing like this...hmm,...perhaps I should have also listed this as a problem with the film in my first paragraph! When the husband is seen visiting his mother-in-law by some other society folks, they begin to spread rumors--not realizing or caring to know his intent. And, an evil opportunist jerk (played by Ronald Colman) decides to exploit this to try to break up the happy marriage. How will all this turn out, see the film for yourself--as there is a lot more to the film's interesting plot.
If you love silents, you'll no doubt love this film. If not, well, see it anyway--as it's still a pretty good film!