Our Modern Maidens

Popular follow-up to Our Dancing Daughters. Crawford and Fairbanks (who were married in real life) play an engaged couple who fall for different people. He falls for her best friend (Page) and she falls for diplomat (LaRoque). Was considered a risqué jazz age love quadrangle at the time. Crawford's final silent film.

It's kind of a soap opera plot, rather daring, perhaps, for its time, but tame by today's standards.

Joan Crawford probably never looked better and, in my not very humble opinion, probably never, or at least seldom, gave a better performance. Her character Billie is in turn kittenish and seductive and cautious, ultimately doing what was the right thing for everyone.

Anita Page, who also never looked lovelier, is everyone's charming girl-next-door, pretty, cute, decent. She gives a superlative performance as the intriguingly named Kentucky.

This is not, probably, anybody's idea of a classic movie, but it is well worth seeing if only for the look at Joan Crawford in an early -- silent -- role. She looks great, gives a controlled performance, and is sans the harsh, overdone makeup of later years -- and padded shoulders.

Anita Page, who pioneered some of the early musicals, displays loveliness and talent and is, to be blunt, adorable.

Oh, there are some good male actors, too, but Crawford and Page are the real reasons to watch.

Our Modern Maidens was MGM's follow-up to the previous year's Our Dancing Daughters. Key personnel were the same: cast members included rising star Joan Crawford and second lead Anita Page, as well as supporting actor Edward Nugent. Josephine Lovett again wrote the story and "continuity," Cedric Gibbons again designed the sets in art deco fashion, and William Axt had a central role in music supervision which again consisted of popular tunes of the day matched carefully to the emotion or tone of the scene. It's almost like watching an opera without sung words. In this film the audio bits are more numerous and painstakingly crafted than in Our Dancing Daughters. Ambient sound is used as often as possible. If we are watching cars speed down a road we hear the engines. If a radio is playing, we hear the announcer as well as the music. When a crowd is shown we hear the hubbub of voices, the clapping of hands, etc.

The theme of both movies seems to be old morals vs new or good, straight-arrow behavior vs devious badness, topics not uncommon in American popular culture during the 20s. In both films Joan Crawford is the wealthy, spirited heroine who goes after what she wants without a second thought to the consequences; she makes mistakes and pays for them but gets her well-earned rewards in the end. She is again opposed to Anita Page who hankers after the same man. Crawford does a lot of gesturing with her fingers in both Daughters and Maidens and seems to have developed a tight repertoire of definite facial expressions, often involving motion of the lips. Page acts with her whole body and is more natural and convincing. But neither is unwatchable.

Both films examine "flaming youth," perpetually in motion, laughing uproariously about one thing or another, jumping into jalopies to go on midnight joy rides, swilling bootleg booze with gleeful abandon, encountering pitfalls and bouncing back in the endless, desperate quest to have fun and embody modernity, which in its essence seems to mean accommodation to a female equality. When the characters in this scenario talk about being "modern" they are referring to the notion that a newlywed bride can go her own way if she chooses, rather than accompany her husband on the honeymoon.

As for leading men, we get a very young Douglas Fairbanks Jr. as the fought-over fiancé. He comes across splendidly in the silence, looking much older than the 19- or 20-year-old he actually was when he made this. His early talkie performances were often stilted but here he seems a master of the craft. Rod LaRoque is perfect as the more mature and sophisticated love interest to the Crawford character. Edward Nugent returns as the perennial happy-go- lucky boy-man.

OUR MODERN MAIDENS (1929) comes with a synchronized audio track (music and sound effects) but is still a "silent" film, with dialogue conveyed via intertitle cards. The story concerns carefree young people, out of college and into society, the world in the palms of their hands. Joan Crawford hams it up to a ridiculous extent with her jazz baby routine. Although she was the star of the picture, Crawford is the least appealing character in the film. Her look here isn't very feminine. By contrast Anita Page is awfully cute as the sweet and naive friend.

Page loves dashing young Douglas Fairbanks Jr., who is pretty serious about Crawford, his longtime sweetheart. Meanwhile, Crawford is playing around with Rod La Rocque, a big shot diplomat of some kind. Melodrama ensues. Joan Crawford finds herself mixed up in two love triangles and, heroine that she is, must make noble decisions.

There's an interesting scene where Douglas Fairbanks Jr. does celebrity impressions at a party. His character impersonates silent-screen actors John Barrymore, John Gilbert, and then -- in the role of "Robin Hood" -- his own father Douglas Fairbanks Sr. It's a nice little treat for astute film buffs.

Starring together in a feature for the first and only time, Crawford and Fairbanks were married that same year in real life.

6.5/10

This gem is one of my favorite silent movies. No, it would never be considered a "classic", yet there's something about the characters, the actors, and the atmosphere that holds such appeal for me that I have watched this film several times without ever tiring of it.

What's there to love? For starters, how about a young Joan Crawford and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in their only on-screen appearance together (they were a couple in real life at the time this picture was produced and were married the same year it was released). Crawford's vivid pantomime is over-the-top at times, but you must see Doug Jr.'s impersonations of his father. Then there are the second-string leads: Anita Page delivers sweet naiveté, while Rod La Rocque's suave intensity is pitch-perfect. And I must also mention the third-string leads--Eddie Nugent and Josephine Dunn--both of whom are scene stealers extraordinaire.

Fast cars, jazz parties, a love quadrangle, great art deco sets--this little film provides a glimpse of the roaring 1920s just on the eve of its collapse.