''Lady Helen's Escapade'' is a short American comedy film produced in 1909, directed by D. W. Griffith. It is about the escapades of Lady Helen working as a domestic in a boarding house. In 2004, the film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States

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 is ...

and selected for the

National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception i ...

Plot

Lady Helen (

Florence Lawrence Florence Lawrence (born Florence Annie Bridgwood; January 2, 1886 – December 28, 1938) was a Canadian-American stage performer and film actress. She is often referred to as the "first movie star", and was thought to be the first film actor to ...

) is a wealthy yet immensely bored woman who lives in a luxurious home with her three servants. In seek of adventure, she answers a help wanted in the newspaper and goes

slumming Slum tourism, poverty tourism, ghetto tourism or trauma tourism is a type of city tourism that involves visiting impoverished areas. Originally focused on the slums and ghettos of London and Manhattan in the 19th century, slum tourism is now p ...

as a domestic servant in a boarding house. She makes ludicrous efforts to cook, serve food, and clean, however the men living in the boarding house are enamored with her beauty and charm enough to overlook her incompetence. Among the boarders is a tall handsome violinist (David Miles), whose kindness and musical talent stand out among the crass manners of the other men. Helen and the violinist's romance inspires jealousy among the other maid, who conspire to get rid of Helen by framing her for the theft of the musician's violin. Although the violinist believes Helen is innocent, she is still fired and sent away. Helen soon reveals her true identity and reunites with the musician. After their reunion, Helen secures the violinist a position as a director at a conservator

Cast

as Helen *David Miles as Violinist *Anita Henrie ic,_Anita_Hendrie.html" ;"title="Anita_Hendrie.html" ;"title="ic, Anita Hendrie">ic, Anita Hendrie">Anita_Hendrie.html" ;"title="ic, Anita Hendrie">ic, Anita Hendrie*Owen Moore as Boyfriend *Dorothy West (actress), Dorothy West as Maid *Herbert Prior as Footman and Police *Mack Sennett as Dinner Guest *John R. Cumpson as Dinner Guest *Arthur V. Johnson as Dinner Guest * Vivian Prescott as Dinner Guest *

Dorothy Bernard Nora Dorothy Bernard (June 25, 1890 – December 15, 1955) was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in nearly 90 films between 1908 and 1956. Biography She was born Nora Dorothy Bernard in Port Elizabeth, British Cape Co ...

as Dinner Guest

Production

As was the case with most of the films Griffith made during this period, most of the film's props and costumes were recycled from other productions. Lawrence, the film's star, creatively utilized the recycled costumes to stand out and support her character, and some writers credit her work in ''Lady Helen's Escapade'' as the first to use of

costume design Costume design is the creation of clothing for the overall appearance of a character or performer. Costume may refer to the style of dress particular to a nation, a class, or a period. In many cases, it may contribute to the fullness of the arti ...

. The film has a large cast that often appeared in the same scene—as many as nine performers appeared simultaneously in a single shot—so Griffith could not use close-ups to convey meaning and emotion. To compensate for this, the actors had to exaggerate their movements and gesticulations. As a result, much of the acting in the film resembles traditional stage performance rather than the more subtle performances associated with film.

References

External links

*
allmovie listing
*''Lady Helen’s Escapade'' essay by Daniel Eagan in America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry, Bloomsbury Academic, 2010 , pages 16–1

1909 films 1900s romantic drama films United States National Film Registry films American silent short films American black-and-white films Films directed by D. W. Griffith American romantic drama films Films shot in Fort Lee, New Jersey Surviving American silent films 1900s English-language films 1900s American films Silent romantic drama films Silent American drama films {{romantic-drama-film-stub