''Lady Windermere's Fan'' is a 1925 American silent film directed by

Ernst Lubitsch Ernst Lubitsch (; January 29, 1892November 30, 1947) was a German-born American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being Hollywood's most elegant and sophisticated director; as ...

. It is based on

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

's 1892 play ''

Lady Windermere's Fan ''Lady Windermere's Fan, A Play About a Good Woman'' is a four-act comedy by Oscar Wilde, first performed on Saturday, 20 February 1892, at the St James's Theatre in London. The story concerns Lady Windermere, who suspects that her husband is ...

'' which was first played in America by

Julia Arthur Julia Arthur (May 3, 1869 – March 28, 1950)Although 1868 is accepted as the year of her birth, both ''The National Cyclopaedia of National Biography'' and ''Who Was Who in America'' give 1869 as the year. was a Canadian-born stage and film ac ...

as Lady Windermere and Maurice Barrymore as Lord Darlington. The film is being preserved by several archives. It was transferred onto

16mm film 16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, ed ...

Associated Artists Productions Associated Artists Productions, Inc. (a.a.p.) later known as United Artists Associated was an American distributor of theatrical feature films and subjects for television. Associated Artists Productions was the copyright owner of the ''Popey ...

in the 1950s and shown on television. In 2002, ''Lady Windermere's Fan'' was selected for preservation in the United States

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 ...

by 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 libra ...

, being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

Plot

In London, Lady Margaret Windermere is busy discouraging Lord Darlington's flirting, while her husband receives a letter from Edith Erlynne, "a complete stranger," asking to meet him on an urgent matter. A woman of great beauty but terrible reputation, she reveals that she is the mother of Lady Windermere, who believes she is dead and reveres her memory. Fearing that his wife would be crushed by the truth and seeing a pile of bills on Mrs. Erlynne's desk, Lord Windermere gives her a cheque for £1500 for her silence. Mrs. Erlynne resumes her scandalous lifestyle. At a horse race, she attracts the attention of many, including members of the Windermere party, notably Lord Augustus Lorton, "London's most distinguished bachelor," and three snoopy, gossipy women. As Lord Windermere defends Mrs. Erlynne to the latter, his wife becomes a bit concerned. Mrs. Erlynne leaves. Lorton follows and is soon calling on her regularly. For Lady Windermere's birthday, her husband gives her jewelry and a lovely fan. When he leaves the mansion, she and Darlington by chance see him dismiss his chauffeur and take a taxi instead. Darlington then tells her that Mrs. Erlynne's name may be found in her husband's cheque book and declares his love for her. Meanwhile, Mrs. Erlynne blackmails Lord Windermere into an invitation to a ball that night, explaining that such "social recognition" might help elicit a marriage proposal from Lord Lorton. When he returns home, his wife confronts him with his copy of the £1500 cheque, which she found after breaking into his locked desk drawer. He tells her he only helped a deserving woman in need, but she becomes further infuriated when he informs her that Mrs. Erlynne will be coming to their ball that night. Faced with his wife's strong opposition, he sends a note to Mrs. Erlynne, asking her not to come. She does not open it, assuming it is her invitation, and goes to the ball. She is not on the guest list, but then Lord Lorton arrives, and she uses him to gain entry. She induces a reluctant Lord Windermere to formally introduce her to his wife. This awkward moment does not go unnoticed, and gossip quickly spreads. However, Mrs. Erlynne adroitly flatters the chief gossiper, and soon she is accepted by the other women guests. Unaware of this, Lady Windermere flees to the garden. She then thinks that she sees Mrs. Erlynne flirting with her husband. In fact, she is talking to Lorton, who asks Mrs. Erlynne to marry him. Mrs. Erlynne spots Lady Windermere and tries to clear up any confusion, but Lady Windermere will not listen. Instead, she flees to Darlington's house, though the man is still at her party. Mrs. Erlynne finds her farewell note to her husband and takes it away. At Darlington's house, she tries to persuade Lady Windermere to go home, telling her that she ruined her life in exactly the same manner. Then Darlington arrives, accompanied by Lord Windermere and some other men, the ball having ended. The two women hide in another room, but Lady Windermere forgets her fan on a sofa. Lord Windermere demands that Lord Darlington explain what his wife's fan is doing there. Mrs. Erlynne comes out and apologizes for having taken it by mistake. All the guests, notably Lord Lorton, leave. Meanwhile, Lady Windermere leaves the house unseen. The following day at breakfast, Mrs. Erlynne comes to return the fan and take leave of the Windermeres, as she is going back to France. Lady Windermere wants to tell her husband what really happened the day before, but Mrs. Erlynne dissuades her. On her way out, Mrs. Erlynne encounters Lord Lorton and tells him that she was shocked by his behavior the previous evening and that she no longer wants to marry him. He is flabbergasted, but after thinking it over, follows her into her taxi.

Cast

Ronald Colman Ronald Charles Colman (9 February 1891 – 19 May 1958) was an English-born actor, starting his career in theatre and silent film in his native country, then immigrating to the United States and having a successful Cinema of the United States, ...

as Lord Darlington *

May McAvoy May Irene McAvoy (September 8, 1899 – April 26, 1984) was an American actress who worked mainly during the silent-film era. Some of her major roles are Laura Pennington in '' The Enchanted Cottage'', Esther in '' Ben-Hur'', and Mary Dale ...

as Lady Windermere *

Bert Lytell Bertram Lytell (February 24, 1885 – September 28, 1954) was an American actor in theater and film during the silent film era and early talkies. He starred in romantic, melodrama, and adventure films. Background Born in New York City, Lyt ...

as Lord Windermere *

Irene Rich Irene Rich (born Irene Frances Luther; October 13, 1891 – April 22, 1988) was an American actress who worked in both silent films and talkies, as well as radio. Early life Rich was born in Buffalo, New York. At age 17, she wed Elvo Elc ...

as Mrs. Erlynne *

Edward Martindel Edward Martindel (July 8, 1876 – May 4, 1955) was an American stage and film actor who appeared on Broadway and in more than 80 films between 1915 and 1946. Born in Hamilton, Ohio, he was the son of Dr. and Mrs. Frank Martindell. His si ...

as Lord Augustus Lorton *

Carrie Daumery Carrie Daumery (25 March 1863 – 1 July 1938) was a Belgian-born American film actress. She appeared in more than 60 films between 1908 and 1937. Personal life Daumery was the sister of violinist Eugène Ysaÿe. She was also the widow of B ...

as The Duchess of Berwick

Box office

According to Warner Bros. records the film earned $324,000 domestically and $74,000 foreign.

Home media

The film is available on DVD in the '' More Treasures from American Film Archives'' collection.

References

External links

''Lady Windermere's Fan'' essay by Scott Simmon
on the

website * * *
''Lady Windermere's fan''
a
A Cinema History ''Lady Windermere’s Fan'' essay by Daniel Eagan in America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry, A&C Black, 2010
, pages 108-109 {{DEFAULTSORT:Lady Windermere Fan 1925 1925 films 1925 romantic drama films American black-and-white films American romantic drama films American silent feature films Films based on Lady Windermere's Fan Films directed by Ernst Lubitsch Films set in London United States National Film Registry films Articles containing video clips 1920s English-language films 1920s American films Silent romantic drama films Silent American drama films