Kiki (1926 film)
Encyclopedia
Kiki is a 1926 silent
comedy film directed by Clarence Brown
. The film is based upon a 1920 novel of the same name by André Picard, which was later adapted by David Belasco
and performed on Broadway to great success in 1921 by his muse Lenore Ulric
.
and lands a job of a chorus girl
. The first night, however, she gets into a fight with the show's star Paulette, who is married to Victor Renal, the director. When Paulette personally gets her fired, Renal feels sorry for her and takes her out on dinner. When Paulette finds out, she jealously asks Renal's best friend Baron Rapp out on a date at the same restaurant. Determined to humiliate her, she serves Kiki a lot of alcohol.
When Kiki is drunk, Paulette feels that she has taken her revenge. Renal, however, sympathizes for her and decides to take her to his home. There, Kiki immediately gets used to her wealthy and luxurious environment. Renal, meanwhile, grows attracted to her naive personality. The romantic tension is abruptly ended by Paulette, who returns home, determined to throw Kiki out. Meanwhile, Rapp tries to convince her that Renal is very much in love with Paulette and that she should come with him. Kiki, however, notices that it is a trick and ruins his and Paulette's plans.
Kiki decides to confront Paulette and gets into a fight with her, during which she is hit unconscious. When a doctor determines that she is in a coma, which could last two years, the baron loses his interest in her. Renal returns to Paulette, until Kiki awakes. In the end, Renal and Kiki kiss and move in with each other.
made. Like her other films, Kiki was praised for its quality of productions, first-rate cast, clothes and settings. Talmadge was praised by critics, but the film became a commercial failure. Her fans demanded for her only to do drama films, and not comedy.
The film was remade in 1931, starring Mary Pickford
.
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
comedy film directed by Clarence Brown
Clarence Brown
Clarence Brown was an American film director.-Early life:Born in Clinton, Massachusetts, to a cotton manufacturer, Brown moved to the South when he was 11. He attended Knoxville High School and the University of Tennessee, both in Knoxville, Tennessee, graduating from the university at the age of...
. The film is based upon a 1920 novel of the same name by André Picard, which was later adapted by David Belasco
David Belasco
David Belasco was an American theatrical producer, impresario, director and playwright.-Biography:Born in San Francisco, California, where his Sephardic Jewish parents had moved from London, England, during the Gold Rush, he began working in a San Francisco theatre doing a variety of routine jobs,...
and performed on Broadway to great success in 1921 by his muse Lenore Ulric
Lenore Ulric
Lenore Ulric was a star of the Broadway stage and Hollywood films of the silent-film and early sound era. Her father, Franz Xavier Ulrich, was a United States Army hospital steward...
.
Plot
Kiki is a Parisian salesgirl who has a heart of gold, but a big temper going with it. She scams her way in a revueRevue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
and lands a job of a chorus girl
Chorus Girl
A chorus girl is a female performer in a chorus or chorus line.It may also refer to:*Chorus Girl , a compilation from Atomic Records*Chorus Girls , a 1981 musical*"The Chorus Girl", a story by Anton Chekhov...
. The first night, however, she gets into a fight with the show's star Paulette, who is married to Victor Renal, the director. When Paulette personally gets her fired, Renal feels sorry for her and takes her out on dinner. When Paulette finds out, she jealously asks Renal's best friend Baron Rapp out on a date at the same restaurant. Determined to humiliate her, she serves Kiki a lot of alcohol.
When Kiki is drunk, Paulette feels that she has taken her revenge. Renal, however, sympathizes for her and decides to take her to his home. There, Kiki immediately gets used to her wealthy and luxurious environment. Renal, meanwhile, grows attracted to her naive personality. The romantic tension is abruptly ended by Paulette, who returns home, determined to throw Kiki out. Meanwhile, Rapp tries to convince her that Renal is very much in love with Paulette and that she should come with him. Kiki, however, notices that it is a trick and ruins his and Paulette's plans.
Kiki decides to confront Paulette and gets into a fight with her, during which she is hit unconscious. When a doctor determines that she is in a coma, which could last two years, the baron loses his interest in her. Renal returns to Paulette, until Kiki awakes. In the end, Renal and Kiki kiss and move in with each other.
Cast
- Norma TalmadgeNorma TalmadgeNorma Talmadge was an American actress and film producer of the silent era. A major box office draw for more than a decade, her career reached a peak in the early 1920s, when she ranked among the most popular idols of the American screen.Her most famous film was Smilin’ Through , but she also...
as Kiki - Ronald ColmanRonald ColmanRonald Charles Colman was an English actor.-Early years:He was born in Richmond, Surrey, England, the second son and fourth child of Charles Colman and his wife Marjory Read Fraser. His siblings included Eric, Edith, and Marjorie. He was educated at boarding school in Littlehampton, where he...
as Victor Renal - Gertrude AstorGertrude AstorGertrude Astor was an American motion picture character actress, who began her career playing trombone on a riverboat.-Career:...
as Paulette - Marc McDermottMarc McDermottMarcus McDermott was an Australian-born American actor who starred on Broadway and in over 180 American films from 1909 until his death.-Early life and career:...
as Baron Rapp - George K. ArthurGeorge K. ArthurGeorge K. Arthur was an English actor and producer. He appeared in 59 films between 1919 and 1935. He won an Academy Award for Best Short Film in 1956 for the film The Bespoke Overcoat....
as Adolphe - William OrlamondWilliam OrlamondWilliam Orlamond was an American film actor.Orlamond appeared in 81 films between 1912 and 1938. He was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and died in Los Angeles, California, United States.-Selected filmography:...
as Brule - Erwin Connelly as Joly
- Frankie DarroFrankie DarroFrankie Darro was an American actor and later in his career a stuntman. He began his career as a child actor in silent films, progressed to lead roles and co-starring roles in adventure, western, dramatic, and comedy films, and later became a character actor and voice-over artist.-Early life:Darro...
as Pierre - Mack SwainMack SwainMack Swain was an American actor and vaudevillian, prolific throughout the 1910s, 1920s and 1930s.-Film career:...
as Pastryman
Reception
Kiki was one of the few comedy films Norma TalmadgeNorma Talmadge
Norma Talmadge was an American actress and film producer of the silent era. A major box office draw for more than a decade, her career reached a peak in the early 1920s, when she ranked among the most popular idols of the American screen.Her most famous film was Smilin’ Through , but she also...
made. Like her other films, Kiki was praised for its quality of productions, first-rate cast, clothes and settings. Talmadge was praised by critics, but the film became a commercial failure. Her fans demanded for her only to do drama films, and not comedy.
The film was remade in 1931, starring Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
.