I never thought I'd see the day when I'd rave about a Joan Crawford performance and use words like "adorable" to describe her. When she grew older, I found her unattractive and mannish, but as it turned out, all I needed to do was watch her in the 1920s! She's a doll!
In this silent movie, Joan stars as a lively flapper. Parts of the "roaring" scenes are similar to the previous year's Our Dancing Daughters, but the difference is in Joan's character. In the first film, she was a party animal who was secretly innocent, but in this movie, she's wild through and through. Even though she's engaged to Douglas Fairbanks Jr., she still flirts with other men and even pursues an affair with Rod La Rocque. Anita Paige, also adorable and also a party girl, is the one who has a secret inner purity. She's in love with Doug Jr. but doesn't want to get in the way of her friend Joan's happiness.
As the title suggests, there's quite a bit of discussion in the film about "modernity" with regards to women's behavior. Anita is tormented by her feelings because she's too decent to wreck Joan's home, but when Joan wrecks her own home, she also has to live with the consequences. There's are plenty of heavy dramatic scenes for Joan and Anita to show off their stylized acting chops, but there are also plenty of fun, frivolous scenes to balance the film out. This isn't a melodrama, but instead feels like a slice of life for a flapper in the 1920s. In real life, Joan Crawford and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. were married at the time, and they make a beautiful onscreen couple. For all Joan's giggling, dancing, strip-teasing, partying, and cuteness, she also aces the dramatic acting of a silent screen goddess. Watching her gimmicks, which are dated now but were perfect at the time, it feels like you're watching Berenice Bejo in The Artist. Every time a more modern actress imitates a silent film star, audiences have the tendency to think she's overdoing it. After watching Joan Crawford, it's clear they're not, and it's quite cute to watch the original. She's lively and brings a contagious energy to the screen, and had talkies not been invented, I might have continued to like her throughout her career.
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. About fifteen minutes in, there's a scene change to a lively party, and the montage includes spinning images that will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"
In this silent movie, Joan stars as a lively flapper. Parts of the "roaring" scenes are similar to the previous year's Our Dancing Daughters, but the difference is in Joan's character. In the first film, she was a party animal who was secretly innocent, but in this movie, she's wild through and through. Even though she's engaged to Douglas Fairbanks Jr., she still flirts with other men and even pursues an affair with Rod La Rocque. Anita Paige, also adorable and also a party girl, is the one who has a secret inner purity. She's in love with Doug Jr. but doesn't want to get in the way of her friend Joan's happiness.
As the title suggests, there's quite a bit of discussion in the film about "modernity" with regards to women's behavior. Anita is tormented by her feelings because she's too decent to wreck Joan's home, but when Joan wrecks her own home, she also has to live with the consequences. There's are plenty of heavy dramatic scenes for Joan and Anita to show off their stylized acting chops, but there are also plenty of fun, frivolous scenes to balance the film out. This isn't a melodrama, but instead feels like a slice of life for a flapper in the 1920s. In real life, Joan Crawford and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. were married at the time, and they make a beautiful onscreen couple. For all Joan's giggling, dancing, strip-teasing, partying, and cuteness, she also aces the dramatic acting of a silent screen goddess. Watching her gimmicks, which are dated now but were perfect at the time, it feels like you're watching Berenice Bejo in The Artist. Every time a more modern actress imitates a silent film star, audiences have the tendency to think she's overdoing it. After watching Joan Crawford, it's clear they're not, and it's quite cute to watch the original. She's lively and brings a contagious energy to the screen, and had talkies not been invented, I might have continued to like her throughout her career.
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. About fifteen minutes in, there's a scene change to a lively party, and the montage includes spinning images that will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"