It

dir. D.W. Griffith
U.S. 1919.
90 min. B&W

The quintessential flapper, Clara Bow, is captured at the height of her charm in the definitive Jazz Age romantic comedy: It.

Inspired by a story by Elinor Glyn, who uses the simple pronoun to encapsulate the spirit of the sexually liberated youth of Prohibition-era America, a saucy lingerie salesgirl sets her sights on the handsome owner (Antonio Moreno) of the department store in which she works. Leading him on a romantic chase from the Hotel Ritz to the whirling attractions of Coney Island, Betty Lou (Bow) decides to crash a high-society yacht party in a last-ditch effort to get her man.

Unlike the sexless starlets or cool beauties who generally appeared on screen, Bow was prone to playing the sexual aggressor in her films, a daring deviation from female passivity that revolutionized the role of women not only in cinema, but in society as well. In It, Bow's gregarious personality and striking beauty are brilliantly showcased, making it easy to understand how she became Hollywood's most popular leading lady of the late 1920s.

Available in 35mm & 16mm