''Lady Windermere's Fan'' is a 1925 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. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

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; a ...

. It is based on

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

'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 as Lady Windermere and Maurice Barrymore as Lord Darlington. The film is preserved in multiple archives. It was transferred to

16mm film 16 mm film is a historically popular and economical Film gauge, gauge of Photographic film, film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 mm film, 8 mm and 35mm movie film, 35 mm. It ...

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 short subjects for television. Associated Artists Productions was the copyright owner of the ' ...

in the 1950s for television. In 2002, it 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 (library and archival science), preservation, each selected for its cultural, historical, and aestheti ...

by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

Plot

In London, Lady Margaret Windermere fends off Lord Darlington's flirtations while her husband receives a letter from Mrs. Erlynne, a notorious woman who claims to be Lady Windermere's mother. Believing her mother is dead, Lady Windermere reveres her memory. To prevent her from learning the truth, Lord Windermere gives Mrs. Erlynne £1500 in exchange for her silence. Mrs. Erlynne reenters society and draws attention, especially from Lord Augustus Lorton. Suspicious of her husband's behavior, Lady Windermere finds the cheque and confronts him. He admits helping Mrs. Erlynne and reveals she will attend their ball. Lady Windermere is outraged. Lord Windermere later rescinds the invitation, but Mrs. Erlynne arrives anyway. She gains entry through Lorton and is introduced at the ball. Lady Windermere, unaware of her efforts, flees to Lord Darlington's house, leaving a note for her husband. Mrs. Erlynne follows, finds the note, and persuades Lady Windermere to return home. When the men arrive, Mrs. Erlynne claims the fan Lady Windermere left behind is hers. Scandal is avoided. The next morning, Mrs. Erlynne returns the fan, asks Lady Windermere to remain silent, and declines Lorton's proposal. He follows her as she leaves for France.

Cast

Box office

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

Home media

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

Preservation and screenings

''Lady Windermere's Fan'' is scheduled to be screened by the

George Eastman House The George Eastman Museum, also referred to as George Eastman House and the International Museum of Photography and Film, is a photography museum in Rochester, New York. Opened to the public in 1949, is the oldest museum dedicated to photography ...

at their Dryden Theater on Tuesday, May 20, 2025. Live piano accompaniment will be performed by Dr. Philip Carli. The 35 mm print to be shown is cited as "Restored by The Museum of Modern Art, with the financial support of Matthew and Natalie Bernstein."

References

External links

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

website *
''Lady Windermere's Fan''
a
A Cinema History

Essay by Daniel Eagan in ''America's Film Legacy''
A&C Black, 2010, , pp. 108–109 * Kramer, Fritzi.
Lady Windermere's Fan'' (1925): A Silent Review
' at moviessilently.com

at silenthollywood.com * {{Authority control 1925 films 1925 romantic drama films American black-and-white films English-language 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 Surviving American silent films Silent American romantic drama films