''The Restless Sex'' is a 1920 American silent

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

starring

Marion Davies Marion Davies (born Marion Cecilia Douras; January 3, 1897 – September 22, 1961) was an American actress, producer, screenwriter, and philanthropist. Educated in a religious convent, Davies fled the school to pursue a career as a chorus girl ...

, and Ralph Kellard. It was directed by Leon D'Usseau and

Robert Z. Leonard Robert Zigler Leonard (October 7, 1889 – August 27, 1968) was an American film director, actor, producer, and screenwriter. Biography He was born in Chicago, Illinois. At one time, he was married to silent star Mae Murray with the two formin ...

and written by

Frances Marion Frances Marion (born Marion Benson Owens, November 18, 1888 – May 12, 1973) was an American screenwriter, director, journalist and author often cited as one of the most renowned female screenwriters of the 20th century alongside June Mathis a ...

. The film is based upon the 1918 novel of the same name by

Robert W. Chambers Robert William Chambers (May 26, 1865 – December 16, 1933) was an American artist and fiction writer, best known for his book of short stories titled '' The King in Yellow'', published in 1895. Life Chambers was born in Brooklyn, New York, t ...

and was distributed by Paramount Pictures under the

Famous Players-Lasky Corporation Famous Players-Lasky Corporation was an American motion picture and distribution company formed on June 28, 1916, from the merger of Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Company—originally formed by Zukor as Famous Players in Famous Plays—and ...

name. A copy of ''The Restless Sex'' is housed at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

and

Gosfilmofond Gosfilmofond is a state film archive in Russia. It is the main film archive of the Russian Federation and a member of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF). It is a state cultural institution — curator of films collection and oth ...

Synopsis

Stephanie (Steve) is a restless and adventurous young woman. She is in love with Jim, her foster brother and childhood sweetheart. But now, she also finds herself attracted to art student Oswald Grismer. Jim leaves for Paris to become an author. In this period, Steve and Oswald decide to marry each other. When Jim finds out, he returns home to win Steve over. The restless sex movie poster

Cast

as Steve * Ralph Kellard as Jim Cleland * Carlyle Blackwell as Oswald Grismer * Charles Lane as John Cleland * Corinne Barker as Helen Davis * Stephen Carr as Jim as a boy * Vivienne Osborne as Marie Cliff * Etna Ross as Steve as a child * Robert Vivian as Chilsmer Grismer *

Athole Shearer Athole Dane Shearer Hawks (November 20, 1900 – March 17, 1985) was a Canadian-American actress and socialite, who was the sister of motion picture star Norma Shearer and MGM film sound engineer Douglas Shearer. Early life Athole Dane Sheare ...

as Extra (uncredited) * Edith Shearer as Extra (uncredited) *

Norma Shearer Edith Norma Shearer (August 11, 1902June 12, 1983) was a Canadian-American actress who was active on film from 1919 through 1942. Shearer often played spunky, sexually liberated ingénues. She appeared in adaptations of Noël Coward, Eugene O'N ...

as Extra (uncredited)

Production

In her 9th film,

portrays a restless young woman torn between two men. Costume design for the film, which featured a prolonged "Bal des Arts" sequence, was done by

Erté Romain de Tirtoff (23 November 1892 – 21 April 1990) was a Russian-born French artist and designer known by the pseudonym Erté, from the French pronunciation of his initials (, EHR TEH). He was a 20th-century artist and designer in an a ...

. This was the first collaboration between

Joseph Urban Joseph Urban (May 26, 1872 – July 10, 1933) was an Austrian-American architect, illustrator, and scenic designer. Life and career Joseph Urban was born on May 26, 1872, in Vienna. He received his first architectural commission at age 19 wh ...

and Cosmopolitan Productions. In ball sequence

portrays Pallas Athena, and

appears as an extra. This would prove to be the final American film for Carlyle Blackwell who would go to England and work in films for another decade. Lorusso, Edward (2017) ''The Silent Films of Marion Davies'', CreateSpace, pp.41-42

Status

A DVD was released by

Edward Lorusso Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sax ...

with a music score by

Donald Sosin Donald is a masculine given name derived from the Gaelic name ''Dòmhnall''.. This comes from the Proto-Celtic *''Dumno-ualos'' ("world-ruler" or "world-wielder"). The final -''d'' in ''Donald'' is partly derived from a misinterpretation of the ...

in May 2015.

References

External links

*
Colorful lobby poster for the film
1920 films 1920 drama films Silent American drama films American silent feature films American black-and-white films Famous Players-Lasky films Films based on American novels Films based on works by Robert W. Chambers Films directed by Robert Z. Leonard Paramount Pictures films Films with screenplays by Frances Marion 1920s American films {{1920s-silent-drama-film-stub