Our Modern Maidens (1929)

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Our Modern Maidens (1929)

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Our Modern Maidens (1929)

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Our Modern Maidens (1929)

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I confess: I’ve fallen madly and hopelessly in love with this movie! As a long-term Joan Crawford fan, an art deco aficionado, and someone who’s been crazy about the “Roaring ‘20s” since childhood, this film hit all the right notes and had me grinning from beginning to end. This is the most charming and delightful movie I’ve seen in a long time, and I truly can’t praise it enough.
In Our Modern Maidens, Joan plays an aptly named character named “Billie," and the film parallels reality to some extent by showcasing the young Joan Crawford/Billie Cassin the way she was during the 1920s: happy, carefree, and dancing up a storm. It’s a rare treat to see Joan like this, and she gives an expressive, vivacious, and absolutely adorable performance as a strong willed young flapper not unlike herself. I really enjoyed seeing her this way, and it was fun to spot what would later become “Crawfordisms” long before her screen persona was fully developed. The jaunty, "tip of the hat" wave she gives (and later used to great effect as Sadie Thompson in Rain) is just one example of this. She’s confident and cheeky in this movie, and it’s a riot watching her bang away on a drumset, and then perform a sexy dance number in a revealing bra and skirt outfit with her navel on full display {which was pretty hot stuff in 1929).
Playing opposite Joan are Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., as Gil, Anita Page as Kentucky, Josephine Dunn as Ginger, and matinee idol Rod La Rocque (love that name!) as Glenn, all of whom deliver strong performances. Anita Page is a little “hammy," but she’s extremely cute strumming her ukulele and mouthing “boop-boop-bee-doop” while she plays. Josephine Dunn portrays jaded and bitchy quite well, and she garners some genuine belly laughs as a result. Rod La Rocque plays it straight for the most part, and he’s appropriately dashing and debonair as he woos Joan. During a seduction scene, he grabs her hair and pulls her head back for an aggressive, passionate kiss which still manages to steam up the screen almost eighty years later.
Doug Jr. is surprisingly funny in his role. He demonstrates his talents as an impersonator in one scene, brazenly imitating his father as Robin Hood by leaping on top of a piano (I’ll bet he heard about that later at Pickfair!). It’s fascinating to watch Joan and her soon-to-be first husband acting together. In one scene, Doug Jr. tells Joan: “There’s something in my pocket…reach in and dig for it," and Joan’s cheeky expression as she reaches in is priceless (double entendre all the way!). Their love for each other is clearly evident in this film, and they make a very attractive couple, epitomizing the "flaming youth" of their generation.
Adrian’s costumes are sexy and glamorous, and if you look very carefully it’s possible to detect tiny, almost imperceptible shoulder pads in Joan’s wedding dress (the seeds had been planted!). The authentic art deco sets are beyond description and absolutely stunning. The wedding scene in particular is straight out of a Tamara De Lempicka painting, right down to Joan carrying a bouquet of white calla lilies as she marches down the aisle. Even the wedding cake is shaped like a towering art deco skyscraper, and the entire sequence is a love letter to the style and design of the era.
Our Modern Maidens is a rare gem and a really fun movie. In my opinion, Jack Conway (who directed some of Gloria Swanson's best silents) skillfully and deftly created a jazz age masterpiece. The mis-matched lovers plot is simple and effective, the cast is charming, the sets and costumes are pure eye candy, and the film moves at a fast-paced clip, never lagging once. I absolutely loved this movie -what a treat

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Our Modern Maidens (1929)

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Our Modern Maidens (1929)

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