Male and Female

Male and Female 1919

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Male and Female - Wikipedia Directed by Cecil B. DeMille  Produced by Cecil B. DeMille Jesse L. Lasky  Written by Jeanie Macpherson  Based on The Admirable Crichton by J. M. Barrie  Starring Gloria Swanson Thomas Meighan  Music by Sydney Jill Lehman (1997 version)  Cinematography Alvin Wyckoff  Edited by Anne Bauchens  Production company Famous Players-Lasky /Artcraft  Distributed by Paramount Pictures  Release date November 23, 1919   Running time 116 minutes  Country United States  Language Silent (English intertitles)  Budget $ 168,619.28 Box office $1,256,226.59 Male and Female is a 1919 American silent adventure/drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Gloria Swanson and Thomas Meighan. Its main themes are gender relations and social class. The film is based on the J. M. Barrie play The Admirable Crichton.A previous version was filmed the year before in England as The Admirable Crichton. Plot The film centers on the relationship between Lady Mary Loam (Swanson), a British aristocrat, and her butler, Crichton (Meighan). Crichton fancies a romance with Mary, but she disdains him because of his lower social class. When the two and some others are shipwrecked on a deserted island, they are left to fend for themselves in a state of nature. The aristocrats' abilities to survive are far worse than those of Crichton, and a role reversal ensues, with the butler becoming a king among the stranded group. Crichton and Mary are about to wed on the island when the group is rescued. Upon returning to Britain, Crichton chooses not to marry Mary; instead, he asks a maid, Tweeny (who was attracted to Crichton throughout the film), to marry him, and the two move to the United States. Production The film contains two famous scenes, indicative of de Mille's predilections as a filmmaker. An early scene depicts Gloria Swanson bathing in an elaborate setting, attended by two maids, lavishing her with rosewater and bath salts, silk dressing gown, and luxurious towels. Toward the end of the film, a fantasy sequence about ancient Babylon shows Swanson posed as Gabriel von Max 's famous painting The Lion's Bride, which involved her being photographed with an actual lion. Cast Lila Lee as Tweeny, the scullery maid Theodore Roberts as Lord Loam Raymond Hatton as Honorable Ernest 'Ernie' Wolley Mildred Reardon as Lady Agatha 'Aggie' Lasenby Gloria Swanson as Lady Mary Lasenby Thomas Meighan as Crichton, the butler Robert Cain as Lord Brockelhurst Bebe Daniels as King's Favorite Julia Faye as Susan, 2nd Maid Rhy Darby as Lady Eileen Duncraigie Edmund Burns as Treherne Henry Woodward as McGuire, Lady Eileen's Chauffeur Sydney Deane as Thomas Wesley Barry as Buttons, the Boy Accolades The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists: 2002: AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions – Nominated list end DVD release Male and Female was released on Region 0DVD-R by Alpha Video on January 28, 2014.