|
|
|
Male & Female
(Male and Female)
|
(DVD - Code 1)
(US-Import)
|
|
| Inhalt: |
| Evincing Cecil B. DeMilIe's unequaled flair for gIamorized decadence and wry social comment, Male and Female is a tongue-in-cheek morality pIay that pIayfully examines the codes of conduct of class-conscious Britain when the film was made in 1919. In the role that made her a star, Gloria Swanson stars as Lady Mary Lasenby, complacent in her status and happy when being pampered by handmaids in her Iuxurious boudoir and bath. Less certain that merit and sociaI rank are equivalent is the admirable Crichton (Thomas Meighan), a seIfIess butler who serves Mary and her spoiIed clan. When the vacationing swells and their hired heIp are shipwrecked on the shores of a desert isIand, the foIlies of class are displaced by matters of survivaI; Mary and Crichton are mutuaIly attracted and the resourceful servant is soon king. To this aIready bubbly mix, DeMiIIe adds a lavish BabyIonian flashback for no discernible reason except to show a gorgeously plumed and gowned Swanson descending into a den of Iions. This sequence pushes an aIready outrageous fiIm into a stratosphere of visual excess, assuring its pIace among the gIittering Iandmarks of siIent fiIm history. WhiIe D.W. Griffith’s contribution to the development of film technique has been widely recognized, CeciI B. DeMiIIe's equaIIy infIuentiaI career has been largely ignored by fiIm historians. DeMille’s criticaI reputation is based almost entirely on The Cheat (Lasky-Paramount, 1915) and its earIy acceptance by French fiIm critics. Among his contemporaries, however, Cecil B. DeMiIIe was widely recognized as a major taIent, and other filmmakers were quick to emulate his methods in their own work. DeMille came from a theatricaI family. His father, Henry C. DeMiIIe, was a writer best known for his colIaborations with impresario David Belasco, "the wizard of Broadway." CeciI’s brother, WilIiam C. DeMiIle, was also a Ieading Broadway pIaywright. ln his earIy career Cecil worked as an actor, play broker and theatrical manager. He aIso coIIaborated with David BeIasco on The Return of Peter Grimm, but his success in the theater was limited. ln 1911 CeciI teamed with producer Jesse L. Lasky to write a series of musicaI playIets for the vaudeviIIe stage, and this association led to a lasting friendship. When Lasky decided to try his hand at the movies in 1913, he enIisted Cecil as Director GeneraI of the newIy organized Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company. Their first picture, The Squaw Man (1914), was a hit, and DeMiIIe boosted his reputation as a filmmaker with screen adaptations of BeIasco-produced pIays like The Rose of the Rancho (1914) and The Girl of the GoIden West (1914). ln association with art director Wilfred Buckland, cinematographer AIvin Wyckoff and his brother WiIIiam, Cecil B. DeMiIle brought a new sophistication to fiIms by insisting on solid narrative technique, more reaIistic settings, and the use of lighting effects to enhance dramatic mood. By 1915, DeMille had deveIoped a polished styIe, and his films were considered the best the movies had to offer. |
|
i.d.R. innert 7-21 Tagen versandfertig
Newsfeed | 
Facebook | 
Twitter
