''Look Your Best'' or ''The Bitterness of Sweets'' is a 1923 American

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

silent

black and white film Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

directed and written by Rupert Hughes. It stars Antonio Moreno and

Colleen Moore Colleen Moore (born Kathleen Morrison; August 19, 1899 – January 25, 1988) was an American film actress who began her career during the silent film era. Moore became one of the most fashionable (and highly-paid) stars of the era and helped po ...

Plot

As described in a film magazine, young Italian woman Perla Quaranta (Moore) dances in the streets to the music from her father's barrel organ. Her grace attracts the attention of Carlo Bruni (Moreno), manager of a small theatrical troupe. He hires her to replace an actress who has grown overweight due to her overindulgence with food. Perla makes good with this chance, though she too gives into the temptation of pies, cakes, and other pastries. Carlo is also given into overeating, with his figure suffering and his dancing powers impaired. Perla begins to take on weight, just like her predecessor. She repulses an attempt by a stage hand, Krug (Metcalfe), to court her. In revenge, he tampers with the wire used by Perla when performing her butterfly act. Carlo suspects Krug and thrashes him. Carlo then receives a sentence of thirty days in jail for this assault. Meanwhile, Perla, in her convalescence, is almost won by a baker who describes the tempting pastries he makes. When Carlo returns after serving his sentence, he and Perla resolve to diet steadily and win fame as dancers. They do so and are married into the bargain.

Cast

as Perla Quaranta * Antonio Moreno as Carlo Bruni * William Orlamond as Pietro * Orpha Alba as Nella *

Earl Metcalfe Earl Metcalfe (March 11, 1889 – January 26, 1928) was an American actor. Biography Born in 1889, Metcalfe appeared in the films ''The Fortune Hunter'', '' While New York Sleeps'', '' What Women Will Do'', '' White Eagle'', '' While Justice Wai ...

as Krug *

Martha Mattox Martha Mattox (June 19, 1879 – May 2, 1933) was an American silent film actress most notable for her role of Mammy Pleasant in the 1927 film '' The Cat and the Canary''. She also played a role in ''Torrent'' (1926). She died from a heart ...

as Mrs. Blitz * Francis McDonald as Alberto Cabotto

Preservation

No copies of ''Look Your Best'' are listed in any film archives,Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Database: ''Look Your Best''
/ref> making this a

lost film A lost film is a feature or short film that no longer exists in any studio archive, private collection, public archive or the U.S. Library of Congress. Conditions During most of the 20th century, U.S. copyright law required at least one copy o ...

References

External links

* *{{allmovie, 100126, Synopsis Films directed by Rupert Hughes Films with screenplays by Rupert Hughes Silent American comedy films 1923 comedy films 1923 films 1920s English-language films American black-and-white films Goldwyn Pictures films 1920s American films