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I don't know if drag is ever intended to fool anyone, but generally some attempt is made by the drag artist to caricature the characteristics of the opposite sex, Eltinge in this film just comes off as a non-de_script_ guy in a dress.  Hard to imagine he was ever a star, let alone a star of such standing that they named a theater after him. but star he was and he was HUGE, at least until 1920 or so. As I wrote earlier, I imagine theatrical lighting was far more flattering back then than what they used for film.

Frederica filted: I don't know if drag is ever intended to fool anyone, is it?  I think we are supposed to be in on the deception and revel in the sleight of...er...hand. There was once this person named Geoffrey Gann, perhaps better known as Karen Dior...he/she appeared in an episode of Xena: Warrior Princess as an entrant in a beauty contest...at one point Xena finds out his/her secret and swears not to reveal it to the judges, but if they hadn't made it a plot point, I imagine a lot of the viewing audience might have gone right on thinking that this character was simply a conventional if stunning woman.... Obviously I know nothing of drag.  Pay no attention to me. Far be it from me to disparage the depth and breadth of anyone's knowledge of the subject...it just seems to me that there are enough people doing drag for there to be a wide range of motivations for it...there must certainly be those for whom the slightest suspicion that things are not as they seem is an indication that the illusion is flawed, and those who seek after admiration for the performance who would be disappointed if anyone actually believed it.... (For my part, I strive only to make myself heard despite the annoying tendency of Newsguy's posting software to do fiddly things with line lengths...quel wreckez de chemin de fer!)....r

      HINTERTREPPE (1921, Deutsche Universum) Essentially a three-person play with Henny Porten a maid who, when her lover disappears, takes up with the deformed mailman (Fritz Kortner) downstairs, leading to tragic results.  Deadeningly slow and depressing, despite fine visuals from director Paul Leni.  One of the real stiffs of the weekend.  (Jon Mirsalis on piano) ** [...]        The longhaired youngsters always talking badly about those Herr Graf youth silent films...        This German Count disagrees about that Hintertreppe it's a real stiff ; well, it's true that probably today the film it seems a little slow (   Hintertreppe was an early Kammerspielfilm and that's the cause, probably, of those rigid performances ) taking that into account and its social context, the superb Paul Leni art-direction and the film portray of the lower middle-classes depicted in that film are good reasons to make interesting Hintertreppe for the longhaired silent fans.    Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien    http://ferdinandvongalitzien.blogspot.com/

Fascinating to see was a rare screen test of Broadway actress and later movie bit and supporting p_layer_ Barbara Barondess for the key role of Doris in the heavy romantic drama Cynara (1932), acting opposite Milton LeRoy (soon to become minor Hollywood actor Philip Reed). The young LeRoy/Reed was obviously well outside his range in the role of the middle-aged lawyer finally well-cast with Ronald Colman. One clarification that John Cocci didn't bring up in his introduction. The screen test of Barondess/Reed was probably not specifically for the movie of CYNARA, but was more likely a general screen test that happened to use the then-popular stage play.  Goldwyn bought CYNARA specifically for Colman and no other male actor was ever considered for the part.  Possibly Reed was just standing in to test Barondess, but he was not being tested for this film role.

Very impressive was the last film of the weekend, a 1931 western inspired by the legendary Calamity Jane, played here memorably by Louise Dresser. Her bitter, middle-aged Jane is certainly no Doris Day or Jane Russell, running both a notorious saloon/whorehouse and a cattle rustling ring with a ruthless iron hand. Then she comes to realize that the zealous young army officer (Richard Arlen) trying to close her down may be her long-lost son, stolen from her as a baby by her philandering army-officer husband before he deserted her when she was only 14. Chris, you neglected to give the name of this film. Jim