Silent Features

[donnie]

That sounds really good! I actually don't think I've ever heard of this film. I'll definitely have to put it on my to-watch list.

[BettyLouSpence]

I think you'll really enjoy it. Btw, I neglected to mention the wonderful score by Mont Alto - very beautiful.

[BettyLouSpence]

I watched Dancing Mothers (1926) the other night. It's a fun comedy about wife and mother Ethel Westcourt (Alice Joyce) who is always left alone at home by her constantly partying husband and daughter, Hugh (Norman Trevor; remember him from Children of Divorce?) and Kittens (Clara Bow) So, with some encouragement from her friend, Ethel takes things into her own hands and decides to live, and allng the way the man that Kittens is interested in (though he isn't much interested in her), Jerry Naughton (Conway Tearle), gets tangled up in the family drama.

The climax to the film is perfection. It's the perfect mix of dramatic reveal and hilarity. Even in the shoddy 240p upload I watched, Clara's face upon a certain reveal and her one word response I was able to lipread had me in stitches. And then Conway Tearle's shocked repeating of her one word response... ohhh my goodness, lol

I recommend watching this film. It's a fun one hour and has some really nice scenes that give a glimpse into parties in 1926.

[donnie]

That looks wonderful! Definitely going to be checking that out.

[BettyLouSpence]

It sounds like something that'll be right up your alley On further reading it seems that the film was originally two reels longer, and according to this page on the film from Greta de Groat's website the film survives only in a five-reel Kodascope cutdown. The LOC and UCLA Film and Television Archives each have a 16mm print. I wonder if it's ever been restored?

[donnie]

It sounds like something that'll be right up your alley On further reading it seems that the film was originally two reels longer, and according to this page on the film from Greta de Groat's website the film survives only in a five-reel Kodascope cutdown. The LOC and UCLA Film and Television Archives each have a 16mm print. I wonder if it's ever been restored?

Did you see any noticeable gaps in the plot, continuity, etc.?

[BettyLouSpence]

It sounds like something that'll be right up your alley On further reading it seems that the film was originally two reels longer, and according to this page on the film from Greta de Groat's website the film survives only in a five-reel Kodascope cutdown. The LOC and UCLA Film and Television Archives each have a 16mm print. I wonder if it's ever been restored?

Did you see any noticeable gaps in the plot, continuity, etc.?

I honestly don't recall noticing anything in that vein, though I may rewatch the film just to make sure. The webpage I linked surmises that the missing reels contained extra characterization for Joyce and the rest of the family.

[donnie]

I just finished watching Dancing Mothers. A most interesting and entertaining film! (Though the start was slow—and the character interactions a little confusing until I sorted things out. ) Thanks so much for posting about this one!

I believe this was actually my first time seeing Alice Joyce in anything, and I was really impressed by her performance. She was very subtle and low key, yet intense and effective. It is largely her acting that transforms this from a surface comedy to something deeper with some tragic undertones for the character.

Clara was excellent, as always. She is especially cute in that scene in Jerry's apartment while she's waiting for him to arrive. There is no one who could have played that like Clara Bow. And she really does seem to become more childlike later in the film—in a way that matches Naughton and Ethel's descriptions of her. I could not quite catch the word you lip read after the big reveal—and it was a big reveal indeed. Talk about awkward. Not quite the evening Naughton had planned.

Is the version below the one you watched? If so, concerning the missing reels, the ending of this really seems chopped off to me—not just the missing "The End", but the plot really feels incomplete. I'm wondering if there is more showing how Ethel changes direction and decides to go to Naughton, after all. Her remark about Kitty and Hugh's selfishness would seem to lead to that possibility. What do you think?

It would really be nice to see a good, crisp print of the complete version of this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cREy5ZLHCdI

[BettyLouSpence]

I believe this was actually my first time seeing Alice Joyce in anything, and I was really impressed by her performance. She was very subtle and low key, yet intense and effective. It is largely her acting that transforms this from a surface comedy to something deeper with some tragic undertones for the character.

Same here, and I was left thinking, "what an amazing actress!" I'm going to be searching for more of her films.

Clara was excellent, as always. She is especially cute in that scene in Jerry's apartment while she's waiting for him to arrive. There is no one who could have played that like Clara Bow. And she really does seem to become more childlike later in the film—in a way that matches Naughton and Ethel's descriptions of her.

I especially loved where she dons his spectacles (sorry about the massive watermark):




And good point about her becoming more childlike as the film goes on. At first she came off as a party girl but still sophisticated as befitting her background, but she seems to really show her immaturity (that word has a negative connotation, but I'm not sure what other word to use here) by the time we get to Jerry's apartment.

I could not quite catch the word you lip read after the big reveal—and it was a big reveal indeed. Talk about awkward. Not quite the evening Naughton had planned.

The word was

► Show Spoiler

"mother", haha! I just thought it was so hilarious how Clara says "Mother? Mother?!", and Naughton turns to them aghast and repeats, "Mother?!!" in shocked disbelief Yes, very awkward indeed.

Is the version below the one you watched? If so, concerning the missing reels, the ending of this really seems chopped off to me—not just the missing "The End", but the plot really feels incomplete. I'm wondering if there is more showing how Ethel changes direction and decides to go to Naughton, after all. Her remark about Kitty and Hugh's selfishness would seem to lead to that possibility. What do you think?

Yep, that's the version I watched. I know, it's jarring in how abruptly it ends. In this truncated form Ethel leaves for Europe after admonishing Kitty and Hugh, but again, that seems oddly barebones and anti-climactic. Hopefully those two reels show up one day...

[donnie]

I believe this was actually my first time seeing Alice Joyce in anything, and I was really impressed by her performance. She was very subtle and low key, yet intense and effective. It is largely her acting that transforms this from a surface comedy to something deeper with some tragic undertones for the character.

Same here, and I was left thinking, "what an amazing actress!" I'm going to be searching for more of her films.

Yes, I was thinking the same thing. Let me know if you run across anything good. I vaguely remember this is an actress they used to talk about a good bit on the GS board.

One other comment — the sets were very impressive, especially the country home of the Westcourts. The pirate club was a bit odd. And, overall, a good sense of the look and feel of the world the monied, fast-moving crowd inhabited in the late '20's.