Male and Female
| Male and Female | |
|---|---|
 Gloria Swanson in Male and Female |
|
| Directed by | Cecil B. DeMille |
| Produced by | Cecil B. DeMille Jesse L. Lasky |
| Written by | Jeanie Macpherson |
| Based on | The Admirable Crichton by J. M. Barrie |
| Starring | Gloria Swanson |
| Music by | Sydney Jill Lehman (1997 version) |
| Cinematography | Alvin Wyckoff |
| Studio | Famous Players-Lasky/Artcraft |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | November 23, 1919 |
| Running time | 116 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent Film English intertitles |
| Budget | $168,619.28[1] |
| Box office | $1,256,226.59[1] |
Male and Female is a 1919 American silent adventure/drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Gloria Swanson and Thomas Meighan.[2] Its main themes are gender relations and social class. The film is based on the J. M. Barrie play The Admirable Crichton.[1]
Contents |
Plot [edit]
The film centers on the relationship between Lady Mary Loam (Swanson), a British aristocrat, and her butler, Crichton (Meighan). Crichton fancies a romance with Mary, but she disdains him because of his lower social class. When the two and some others are shipwrecked on a desert island, they are left to fend for themselves in a state of nature.
The aristocrats' abilities to survive are far worse than those of Crichton, and a role reversal ensues, with the butler becoming a king among the stranded group. Crichton and Mary are about to wed on the island when the group is rescued. Upon returning to Britain, Crichton chooses not to marry Mary; instead, he asks a maid, Tweeny (who had fancied Crichton throughout the film), to marry him, and the two move to the United States.
Production [edit]
The film contains two famous scenes, indicative of de Mille's predilections as a filmmaker.
- An early scene depicts Gloria Swanson bathing in an elaborate setting, attended by two maids, lavishing her with rosewater and bath salts, silk dressing gown, and luxurious towels.
- Toward the end of the film, a fantasy sequence about ancient Babylon shows Swanson posed as Gabriel von Max's famous painting The Lion's Bride, which involved her being photographed with an actual lion.
Cast [edit]
- Lila Lee - Tweeny, the scullery maid
- Theodore Roberts - Lord Loam
- Raymond Hatton - Honorable Ernest 'Ernie' Wolley
- Mildred Reardon - Lady Agatha 'Aggie' Lasenby
- Gloria Swanson - Lady Mary Lasenby
- Thomas Meighan - Crichton, the butler
- Robert Cain - Lord Brockelhurst
See also [edit]
- List of American films of 1919
- The House That Shadows Built (1931 promotional film by Paramount)
References [edit]
- ^ a b c Birchard, Robert S. (2004). Cecil B. DeMille's Hollywood. University Press of Kentucky. p. 144. ISBN 0-813-12324-0.
- ^ Male and Female at SilentEra
External links [edit]
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