It (1927).

Review #1018: It.

Cast: 
Clara Bow (Betty Lou Spence), Antonio Moreno (Cyrus T. Waltham), William Austin ('Monty' Montgomery), Priscilla Bonner (Molly), Jacqueline Gadsdon (Adela Van Norman), Julia Swayne Gordon (Mrs. Van Norman), and Elinor Glyn (Herself) Directed by Clarence G. Badger.

Review: 
To borrow from what is likely a cliche line, but what is "it"? Well, there can be two explanations. The first one, by Rudyard Kipling in 1904, stated that it was not beauty or good talk, but "just 'It'. Some women will stay in a man's memory if they once walk down the street." If that answer doesn't satisfy you, how about the one by Elinor Glyn, who wrote a two-part serial story in Cosmopolitan magazine, who defines it as "That quality possessed by some which draws all others with its magnetic force. With 'It' you win all men if you are a woman and all women if you are a man. 'It' can be a quality of the mind as well as a physical attraction." It should be noted that she was given a "story and adaptation" credit along with a small role in the film. The original story had a male magnetic character, whereas the film changed it to be a woman. In any case, the story itself is featured in a scene where one of the characters reads from the magazine while trying to find out about "it", with a bit of product placement, which was not exactly a common thing at the time.

Honestly, the real reason that I wanted to review this silent film was because of the fact that it has lingered on my to-do list for quite some time, along with 2017 happening to be 90 years since the movie was released. In any case, It is a fairly charming little film, having enough zip and warmth to make for something that is highly entertaining. This was the film that rocketed Bow to stardom, with the label "It girl" soon becoming her nickname while giving her global fame. She just has a certain spark and feel to her that just makes her a fun person to watch on-screen. She just has a zip to her that is magnetic, especially when sharing scenes with Moreno that make the first half of the film pretty entertaining. That's not to say the second half isn't as good, I'm just stating that the movie pulls you in pretty well by its first 30 minutes that make the other 42 minutes go by finely. Moreno does a pretty decent job, and the rest of the cast is fairly nifty and dependable. The titles were written by George Marion, Jr, with the screenplay done by Hope Loring and Louis D. Lighton, and they both serve their purpose well. The film has its moments of sweetness and amusement, doing so with a fair amount of class and determination that certainly makes a clear winner.

Well, look at that. December 1st. Today happens to be my 21st birthday, and I figured it made sense to publish a review for it since I've done a review for that day on four previous years (#292 - Snoopy, Come Home, #493 - The Witches of Eastwick, #759 - The Gold Rush, and #880 - Tillie's Punctured Romance). In any case, welcome to December, folks.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.