Adam's Rib (1923 film)

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Adam's Rib
Lobby card for Adam's Rib (1923)
Directed byCecil B. DeMille
Written byJeanie MacPherson
Produced byCecil B. DeMille
StarringMilton Sills
CinematographyL. Guy Wilky
Alvin Wyckoff
Edited byAnne Bauchens
Production
company
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • March 4, 1923 (1923-03-04)
Running time
10 reels
(9,526 feet)
CountryUnited States
LanguagesSilent
English intertitles

Adam's Rib is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille.[1] A print of the film exists in the George Eastman House film archive.[2][3]

Plot summary[edit]

The film centers around the troubled marriage of Michael and Marian Ramsay. Michael is a work-focused commodities trader, and Marian, a socialite yearning for grand romance, becomes infatuated with Jaromir, a deposed king. Their teenage daughter, Tillie, aims to save her parents' marriage while pursuing a relationship with Professor Nathan Reade, a socially awkward paleontologist.

Marian's affair with Jaromir becomes public, prompting Michael to devise a plan to rid himself of his rival by exploiting Jaromir's homeland's economic woes, offering to purchase their wheat surplus if they take Jaromir back as their ruler. Tillie, discovering her mother's affair, decides to distract Jaromir herself to protect her parents' marriage.

In an effort to explain her actions to Professor Reade and dissuade him from believing she's interested in Jaromir, Tillie recounts a fantastical caveman era story featuring the main characters in prehistoric roles, ending with the "caveman" version of the story taking a dark turn. Despite this, Reade proposes to Tillie.

As Marian plans to leave Michael for Jaromir, Michael accelerates his plan using his resources to secure the wheat deal, effectively sending Jaromir back to his kingdom. The misunderstanding about Tillie's intentions causes tension, but eventually, the family resolves their issues, with Michael and Marian rekindling their love.

The plot encompasses themes of marital discord, the lengths to which individuals will go to protect or salvage relationships, and the comedic absurdity of mixing modern sensibilities with prehistoric dramatizations.

Production[edit]

The prehistoric flashback sequence was filmed in a Two-color Technicolor.[4] Another segment was set in an exhibit hall featuring a real dinosaur skeleton.[5]

Release[edit]

Cinema scholar Gaylyn Studlar positioned the release of Adam's Rib as part of studio-led effort to bring "high art to film" and capture a wider audience of middle-class women. Advertisements for Adam's Rib displayed the director's name in large lettering above the film title, and included a image of DeMille posing with a script, alongside a declaration "Cecil B. DeMille Director of Directors! - whose screen record literally glitters with successes... who places his art before anything else."[6]

Reception[edit]

The film was a financial disappointment. Adam's Rib earned back its budget, but factoring the costs of marketing, the studio broke even. Commentators have blamed the film's poor performance on the public's waning taste for lavish bedroom comedies and an unfortunate release timing on the same day as Buster Keaton's Three Ages, which also featured a "zany caveman" character.[7]

Cast[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Progressive Silent Film List: Adam's Rib". Silent Era. Retrieved June 21, 2008.
  2. ^ SilentEra entry
  3. ^ "Adam's Rib". American Silent Feature Film Survival Database. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
  4. ^ Berry, Mark F. (August 31, 2015). The Dinosaur Filmography. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-0674-3.
  5. ^ Moore, Randy (July 23, 2014). Dinosaurs by the Decades: A Chronology of the Dinosaur in Science and Popular Culture. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 978-0-313-39365-5.
  6. ^ Lucia, Cynthia; Grundmann, Roy; Simon, Art (June 25, 2015). American Film History: Selected Readings, Origins to 1960. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-118-47517-1.
  7. ^ Silently, Movies (February 2, 2014). "Adam's Rib (1923) A Silent Film Review". Movies Silently. Retrieved March 6, 2024.

External links[edit]