One look at Louise Brooks and it is obvious that she is not your average “girl next door.” But in The Show Off, she is cast as just that – but this incongruity actually winds up saving the movie from historical obscurity (very little chance a movie starring Ford Sterling or Lois Wilson would get a DVD release on their own these days, sad but true). Overall, the film is an awkward comedy that plays too close to straight drama – it’s intended that we laugh at Sterling, a low-wage clerk with an ego problem whose penchant for boasting brings a naïve Wilson and her struggling family to bankruptcy. (There’s the expected character redemption and happy ending.) Instead, Sterling’s satire is so spot-on that it makes us cringe. Unlike other middle-class characters played by Harold Lloyd and Charlie Chase, Sterling does not play the role as a clown – he is the straight man. One of the original Keystone Kops, Sterling’s restraint is evidence of his dramatic acting ability (he plays a strong supporting role in King Vidor’s Wild Oranges).
But, as is often the case with any movie she is in, Louise Brooks steals the show. Her vitality is irrepressible, and often I found myself lamenting the intrusion of title-cards, wishing instead for longer takes that would linger on her iconic image. Post-Gish and pre-Garbo, Brooks has this magnetic attraction with the screen. Her persona is one of power: determination, sexuality, assuredness, and street smarts (she is the only one with the guts to tell off Sterling). A vital cultural force, Brooks was a transitional figure that allowed cinema to modernize and let go of its Victorian roots.
by Cullen Gallagher | Source: Image Entertainment DVD
08 Oct 2008 10:33 AM | Submit Comment
