Celebrate Silent Film
Unjustly obscure, this picture examines gender roles and double standards in post-WWI America. Director William de Mille creates a funny, heartbreaking story of a single woman deemed a “spinster” by the residents of her small town.
Continue reading “Fun Size Review: Miss Lulu Bett (1921)”
It’s not flashy and it’s not famous but Miss Lulu Bett is one of the best dramas of the silent era. Directed by William deMille (Cecil’s big brother), it tells the tale of a woman throwing off the gloomy shackles of Victorianism and making her own way in the modern world. It’s subtle, it’s smart and its gentle humor always hits its target.
Continue reading “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Milton Sills: “Miss Lulu Bett” and the New Woman”
Lulu is a poor relation, sentenced to a lifetime of drudgery for the crime of spinsterhood. She jumps into a loveless marriage in order to escape her plight. It should have been an escape but it only makes matters worse and Lulu is forced to take matters into her own hands.
Continue reading “Miss Lulu Bett (1921) A Silent Film Review”