The Folly of Vanity is a 1924 American silent drama film codirected by Maurice Elvey and Henry Otto and starring Billie Dove and Betty Blythe. It was produced and distributed by the Fox Film Corporation.[1][2] The film is divided into two sections, the modern part which was directed by Elvey and the underwater fantasy section directed by Otto.

The Folly of Vanity
Theatrical poster
Directed byMaurice Elvey
Henry Otto
Written byEdfrid Bingham (scenario)
Story byCharles Darnton
Produced byWilliam Fox
StarringBillie Dove
Jack Mulhall
Betty Blythe
CinematographyG. O. Post
Joseph H. August
Joseph Valentine
Production
company
Fox Film Corporation
Distributed byFox Film Corporation
Release date
  • December 21, 1924 (1924-12-21)
Running time
60 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent (English intertitles)

Plot

edit

As described in a review in a film magazine,[3] Alice (Dove), a beautiful young wife, loves jewelry and spends some money intended for other purposes to buy an imitation pearl necklace. Her husband Robert (Muhall) invites Ridgeway (St. Polis), a wealthy client, to dinner. Ridgeway is a conisseur of women and pearls and invites the young couple to a party he is giving. Robert chides Alice for buying the pearls and declines the invitation but Allice, determined to go, gets her way. Ridgeway presents his guests with expensive jewelry as souvenirs and, unable to persuades Alice to take any, insists that she wear a beautiful pearl necklace to restore the lustre of her imitation pearls. The whole crowd is invited on a yacht cruise where Ridgeway is attentive to Alice, while a wealthy widow (Blythe) attracts Robert. Alice and Robert have a quarrel. That night Alice dreams that Ridgeway is attempting to attack her. She jumps into the sea and is carried to Neptune's court where all wonders and beauties are shown her. Neptune (Klein) is depicted as surrounded by beautiful maidens who are scatily clad or unclad. A festival is held in Alice's honor. A witch (Drovnar) discovers that an imprint has been on her neck by the pearl necklace, a mark of vanity, and Neptune orders her cast out. Awakening, she returns the necklace to Ridgeway and by error enters Roberts room, where a reconciliation occurs.

Cast

edit
Modern part

Fantasy part

  • Consuelo as Thetis
  • Jean La Motte as Lorelei
  • Bob Klein as Neptune
  • Ena Gregory as The Siren
  • Lola Drovnar as The Witch
  • Paul Weigel as Old roué

Production

edit

Portions of the dream fantasy sequence were tinted in various shades, some to indicate being underwater.[3]

Preservation

edit

A print of The Folly of Vanity reportedly is held in the Národní filmový archiv and in an American collection.[4]

References

edit
  1. ^ The AFI Catalog of Feature Films: The Folly of Vanity
  2. ^ Progressive Silent Film List: The Folly of Vanity at silentera.com
  3. ^ a b Sewel, Charles S. (February 14, 1925). "The Folly of Vanity; Interesting Modern Story and Spectacular Under-Sea Fantasy Are Combined in this Fox Feature". The Moving Picture World. 72 (7). New York City: Chalmers Publishing Co.: 702. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  4. ^ The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: The Folly of Vanity
edit