Oh my goodness, where do I even begin with Flappers?
Today the word conjures up a stereotypical jazz age dame: young, short-haired, uncorsetted, wildly dancing the Charleston and swilling martinis.
However, in 1920 the word “flapper” meant something a little different. It gradually evolved into its current meaning over the course of the decade.
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If you were a director who needed to churn out some films as quickly as possible, it might seem like a good idea to load up your crew and head to the Bahamas to dash off a couple romantic adventure flicks. Right?
In 1920 David Wark “D.W.” Griffith was reknowned around the world as a visionary film pioneer. He had revolutionized American film production in storytelling strategies, the direction of actors, editing for suspense, parallel action, lighting innovations, and numerous innovative camera techniques. It is largely due to his ambition and vision that American movies made the leap from 12-minute shorts shown in shabby storefronts for a nickel (in 1908 when he began) to the epic two hour production shown in grand theatres with full orchestra, charging an unprecedented ticket price of two dollars. (This was his Birth of a Nation in 1915.)
D.W.’s views of the film medium and business were forward looking, yet when it came to picking stories to shoot, his feet were firmly planted in the previous century. His technique was modern, his tastes and world view unrelentingly old-fashioned. This paradox was eventually what finally ended his filmmaking career.
Griffith’s three pictures in 1920 starred three different actresses: Clarine Seymour, Carol Dempster, and Lillian Gish. The male romantic lead for all three was David Barthelmess. Two were shot in the Bahamas and the third in upstate New York. Two were flops and one was a massive hit.
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I’ve been immersed in silent movies recently, partly as research for a book but also because I’m fascinated by both the history and the films of this period. Spending more time at home this year has enabled me to take a long, close look at movies made in 1920, exactly one hundred years ago.
It was a particularly fascinating year. The world had just emerged from WWI and a devastating pandemic. Both left a psychological mark especially on defeated Germany, where filmmakers responded with dark folk tales, horror, and expressionism. (And some comedy as well – thank you Ernst Lubitsch!)
In America the mood was lighter. 1920 saw the enactment of Prohibition outlawing the sale or use of alcohol, but despite this – perhaps because of it – Americans were in a party mood. The movie industry, having entered its rebellious teen years, was eager to set the pace. They would have ten more years to whoop it up before the Hays Code came in to regulate movie morals and ruin everyone’s fun.
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