Lady Windermere's Fan (1925)

Director:

Ernst Lubitsch

Writers:

Oscar Wilde (play)
Julien Josephson (adaptation)

Release Date:

26 December 1925 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Mrs Erlynne, the mother of Lady Windermere - her daughter does not know about her - wants to be introduced in society...

Plot Keywords:

Mother | Fan | Society | Motherhood | Racetrack

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Ronald Colman	...	Lord Darlington
May McAvoy	...	Lady Windermere
Bert Lytell	...	Lord Windermere
Irene Rich	...	Mrs. Erlynne
Edward Martindel	...	Lord Augustus Lorton (as Edw. Martindel)
Carrie Daumery	...	The Duchess of Berwick (as Mme. Daumery)

Runtime:

Denmark:120 min | USA:120 min (2004 National Film Preservation Foundation print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

USA:Approved | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Canada:G (Ontario) | Portugal:17 (director's cut)

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

On 28 March 2008, composer Yati Durant premiered a new score for clarinet, piano, string quartet and electronics at the Cologne Philharmonic in Cologne, Germany. The composition was commissioned by the Cologne Philharmonic and the U.S. Consulate General.

Quotes:

Opening title card: Lady Windermere faced the grave problem of seating her dinner guests.

Movie Connections:

Version of Lady Windermere's Fan (1916)

A Fine Combination of Wilde & Lubitsch

At first it might not seem as if the combination of Ernst Lubitsch and Oscar Wilde would work very well, but this silent-screen adaptation of Wilde's "Lady Windermere's Fan" is both enjoyable and well-crafted. Instead of clashing, Lubitsch's stylish, mischievous approach and Wilde's perceptive cynicism complement each other. The characters and the story are Wilde's, the acting and the style are Lubitsch's.

Although the material is heavily re-worked from the original play, Lubitsch's decisions all seem to work pretty well. Wilde's witty and resourceful dialogue is gone, but his insightful portrayals of human nature remain. Lubitsch also makes good use of the camera to bring off some shots that could not have worked on the stage. In particular, at times he makes the fateful fan seem almost a full-fledged part of the cast.

This movie version features solid performances by May McAvoy and Bert Lytell as the Windermeres, with a youngish-looking Ronald Colman suitably ingratiating as Lord Darlington. But Irene Rich has the most interesting character, and as Mrs. Erlynne she also gives a fine performance that particularly stands out in her scenes with the other characters. She and Lubitsch both capture the nature of her unpopular but admirable character, while carefully setting up the contrasts and conflicts between her and the other characters, who are in general more socially acceptable but far less worthy.

This also works well simply as an entertaining, often very amusing, and sometimes dramatically compelling story. For most silent film fans, it would definitely be worth tracking down and watching.