Friday night is film time and, if you’re in London, you’re into fashion and cinema and are still not sure what to do tonight, I would suggest you to go and watch Cecil B. DeMille’s Male and Female (1919) at BFI’s Southbank (8.20 pm – with live accompaniment from John Sweeney), part of the Fashion in Film Festival.
Though considered as one of DeMille’s weaker social comedies, Male and Female remains (also thanks to its main theme - class equality Vs class distinctions) one of his most films together with Forbidden Fruit.
The film - with costumes by Clare West, Mitchell Leisen and Paul Iribe - includes some wonderful fashion moments and some desperately romantic and funny situations.
The plot is based on J. M. Barrie play The Admirable Crichton and follows the vicissitudes of Crichton (Thomas Meighan), a butler who has fallen in love with the spoiled lady he serves, Mary Lasenby (Gloria Swanson).
Social class prevents him from declaring her all his love, but things change when Mary, her family and servants end up shipwrecked on an island and Crichton’s abilities at surviving turn him into the leader of the group.
On the island Mary fights with maid Tweeny (Lila Lee) to win Crichton’s love, but unexpected circumstances take them back to their old lives and re-establish once again the previous class order.
As I said, there are some wonderful fashion moments, especially when Crichton, remembering the lines “Or ever the knightly years were gone/with the old world to the grave, I was a King in Babylon/And you were a Christian Slave” from William Ernest Henley’s “Or Ever the Knightly Years” dreams of being a king and of taming Lady Mary, a slave who becomes his courtesan and is later on sent to death in a lion’s den.
In his vision Lady Mary dies wearing a white dress with a sumptuous headdress covered in pearls and peacock feathers (designed by Mitchell Leisen).
DeMille staged her death as a sort of cinematic version of Victorian painting "The Lion’s Bride".
French art nouveau stylist, illustrator, fashion designer, interior decorator and furniture maker Paul Iribe also contributed to the film with one costume.
If you’re into Cecil B. DeMille but won’t be able to attend tonight’s screening, well, you still have a chance to catch up with more extravagant costumes at tomorrow’s screening of The Affairs of Anatol (1921), again at BFI Southbank (at 4.00 pm).
This comedy adapted from Arthur Schnitzer’s play Anatol, will have you laugh and marvel at the same time at the Orientalist costumes by Clare West (and wonderful Art Nouveau/Art Deco sets by Iribe) – check out in particular Bebe Daniels in her "Octopus Gown".
Tomorrow's screening will be accompanied by live piano from Andrew Youdell and will be introduced by Inga Fraser, Associate Curator of the Fashion in Film Festival.
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