"The Show Off" (1926) and "The Plastic Age" (1925)

It is hard for me to dislike flapper movies. Even when I do not care for the plots, or pay attention because I just came off a great work week, I always check off five-star NetFlix reviews. This became the case with "The Show Off" with Lois Wilson and Louise Brooks, and "The Plastic Age" with Clara Bow, Gilbert Roland, and, get this, Carole Lombard and Clark Gable in small roles.

In "The Show Off," Louise Brooks supposedly plays a supporting role, but that remains difficult to determine. Her look is iconic, and she exudes such presence, I found myself wishing her onscreen when she was not. The story of a deceitful in-law kept me engaged enough, but Louise proved competitive. And she won.

Not that Lois Wilson did not flapper it up :-)

"The Plastic Age," on the other hand, presents a fun college story about a freshman who unsuccessfully tries to balance his academic life, his football career, and his relationship with the popular girl, played by Clara. They break up, and drama, drama, drama. I like Clara in anything. End of story!

I mean, cute, right?

"Oh why, why, why be good?"

Last night I received the documentary, Why be Good? Sexuality and Censorship in Early Cinema from NetFlix. Just over an hour long, it covers conflicts between filmmakers and censors from the 1890s to the implementation of the Hays Code in the 1930s. Mary Pickford, Louise Brooks, Fatty Arbuckle, Gloria Swanson, Rudolph Valentino, Mae West, and Clara Bow are a few of the stars it follows under this focus.

This film did not tell me much I did not already know, but I loved the selection of film clips (Many were from the 1890s and 1910s!!), rare interviews with Mary Pickford, Louise Brooks, and Gloria Swanson, and the 1920s-inspired soundtrack. Not to mention, no matter the depth, this subject remains interesting to me. I think it's so typical to treat sex in such a taboo, hypocritical way.  It's worth checking out if you like film history.

In other news, has anyone kept up with TCM's annual 31 Days of Oscar? I am excited to watch Father of the Bride tonight, and Viva Zapata! and Sunrise tomorrow.