The fastest, easiest, most enjoyable picture I ever made…
Gloria Swanson
There’s a buzz about Gloria Swanson what with a UK premier of
a new restoration of Queen Kelly* and a cracking book about the film
fresh on bookshelves** but, then again, there’s always been a buzz
around Gloria. What strikes you so often about the primary stars of this
enduring medium is the sheer kinetic energy displayed in service to the
narrative, the action and the story. They had faces then of course but they had
to radiate and then they had to mime: no portion of the screen was uncovered
and no doubt was left in audience’s minds of the feelings on display.
Gloria was, of course, one of the golden generation of short
actors, arching her back and standing on tippy toes to gain a fraction of an
inch when measured against Mary, Mabel or Viola Dana. Lord knows what they were
feeding them in Brooklyn, but the Talmadges were almost supernaturally tall at
5ft 5” and therefore probably unbeatable in the inter-studio netball league (if
there was one).
But no matter how big they were, the harder they fell if
they were playing alongside Gloria and this film features a couple of catty
skirmishes with Mary Thurman (5ft 4”) who goes down just as quickly as Bebe
Daniels (5ft 4”) in Why Change Your Wife? (1920). Gloria is too swift,
has lightning combinations and goes in harder every time and, as Zaza, the talk
of Parisian nightlife, she is peerless and fearless. Thurman plays Florianne, a
singer just below Zaza on the bill and in the pecking order, who loathes her
more popular rival as much as the men love her but she’s a tryer, we have to
give her that.
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| Watch out for a swinging right hook Yvonne! |
The film opens with a title card invoking the spirit of
Zazas past on stage and on screen – Rajane, Duse, Leslie Carter, Farrar - before
introducing another – “a modern and tempestuous Zaza – the Zaza of today – “, who
is to be found in a small provincial theatre not far from the capital. The new
sensation dominates the bill and backstage as well and we find Zaza in a dressing-room
tizz as Gloria establishes her star’s quality by playfully bullying her loyal
assistant Nathalie (Yvonne Hughes) when she can’t find the silk gown she’s
actually wearing. She blames her anyway then smiles a crafty smile and drops a
tip on the dresser. She’s somewhat less forgiving of the stage manager and
crew, not to mention Florianne whose head-dress offends her as she peers
through the safety curtain spyhole and so she plucks part of it out.
Director Alan Dwan sets a Fairbanks-frenetic pace as you’d
expect and how else to establish the presence of Zaza who has to be a stage
stunner even in silence and with her motivations only hinted at. Opening at the
Théâtre du Vaudeville in Paris, in May 1898, Pierre Berton and Charles Simon’s
play contains a backstory that is not present in Hollywood, not even implied,
with Zaza having been a prostitute before escaping to success in the music
hall. But don’t worry, things do get a little "French"… but I’m getting ahead of
myself.
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| Gloria abides |
Zaza casts a spell on her audience and one of those
enthralled is the rich gentleman Bernard Dufresne (H. B. Warner) who comes to
the theatre every night to stare adoringly at the petit star as she swings high
over the audience in a very literal attempt to make her jump out of the screen.
Technically these are so well filmed with the camera above Gloria as her swing
moves to and fro at alarming speed, the cinematographer must have been moving
exactly in parallel motion probably on a cherry picker or some other device,
not looking down and cranking with all of his might to capture the action
below.
Zaza’s swing is very impressive but it’s also her biggest
weakness as Florianne cuts one of the ropes which frays and snaps during a
performance throwing the star to the ground below and breaking her leg. Besotted
Bernard takes command and arranges for the best surgeons in all of France to
make her well again but she must spend a long time convalescing in his rural
retreat and one thing leads to another… as it was always likely to do!
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| Gloria and HB Warner in the press |
Yet there’s more than one twist in this particular tail as
Bernard’s full situation is revealed and heads may have to rule over hearts.
You really have to watch it to find out as Gloria gets to show us her dramatic
range – her true superpower – emoting in ways that few could accomplish. But
it’s not just her face, she is physically expressive despite not being a
dancer, and has a natural pep and swagger that fills the screen and draws the
eye.
The film is also splendid vehicle for Swanson as a clothes
horse with stunning designs from a young Norman Norell who, recently graduated from
the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn where he studied fashion design, joined
Paramount in 1922. He worked with Gloria and also with Valentino before the film
business moved to Hollywood and he then would go on to have a huge career in fashion
right the way into the early 1970s.
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| Gloria's glorious gowns! |
His remarkable talents are well on display here and you
couldn’t ask for a finer clothes horse than Swanson who wears his creations as
extensions of her character’s personality. You don’t need to be tall to wear haute
couture on screen, just natural grace, main character poise and Zaza-vroom
energy!
This contributes to the film’s joys and, later on, acts as a
counter point to the difficult choices Zaza must make as life moves from on
stage and in stalls, to bucolic family settings. Love is love but there are
many forms as she will discover…
The music is from Jeff Rapsis and is based on the original cue sheets from 1923 which takes us close to the original musical experience of audiences watching. It’s a 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix so hi-fidelity way beyond 1923 but all the better for filling your living room with Jeff’s expert extemporisation and practiced feel for the period and the musical sentiment of this joyful film.
An excellent package all round from Kino-Lorber and apologies for only taking the nine years to watch and review it! NOW is the time though, now is Swanson Summertime!
*BFI 20th September and tickets go onsale 6th August - there's also an introduction from
Pamela Hutchinson author of…
**The Curse of Queen Kelly, (Sticking Place Books) –
you can order from here or the BFI Shop and don’t forget to bring them along for signing on 20th!
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| Gloria expects you on 20th... NO excuses! |
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