The Kingdom of Shadows

This film, of course, defined the term "the It girl," and is because of that Clara Bow's most famous film. While I suppose if you only see one Clara Bow movie this should be the one you see, there's something incredibly wrong with you if you think it is acceptable to just see one Clara Bow movie. It will have done its job if it just convinces you of that, though on the whole Mantrap, or The Plastic Age are better films.

The plot of the film is a rather standard Clara Bow plot (which can be all summed up by "girl falls in love, girl does zany things to get the guy"). In the film, some rich guy's foppish friend (they weren't gay until the 1950s) reads this story about having "It," a pretentious word for sex appeal. There are long discussions about who actually has "it," until the foppish guy decides that a certain girl working in the rich man's store, quite defiantly has it. He takes her out to a fancy dinner, and she goes after his not foppish friend. Since she is poor and he is rich there are endless problems, all of which Clara Bow manages to overcome with her Itiness. She of course gets the man in the end.

Though, this does not describe the actual reason you watch the film, which can be summed up as "Clara Bow is cute, look at all the things she can do!" I am completely mad about Bow, it is really quite difficult for one to avoid falling in love with her. I was not too charmed by her in the first shot (despite the fact that she was holding lingerie), but when she leaves the store in this cute little 1920's dress, and a cloche hat, I don't know if I've ever seen anything better in this world.

The film is filled with sexual puns, her dress is blown up by one of those sidewalk wind things a la Marylin Monroe, after she slaps a guy for being "too fast," she runs up stairs smiling and slaps a stuffed animal on the butt. There is also a lot of talk about unmarried pregnancy, and "kept" women. In this sense, one of the most interesting things about Clara Bow films is the way they counter her out of control sex appeal, with the reminants of victorian culture that was being cast off at the time. There is sex everywhere in her films, but the films stop just short of any impropriety (occasionally by condemning the sex that is there to please the audience).

I will stop at that mention though. A Clara Bow film shouldn't be overly analyzed, one should merely watch the film for the quickening pace of your heart, that the flash of her eyes inspires.