The Florodora Girl

The Florodora Girl, produced by and starring Marion Davies, is a contribution to the broader nostalgic sub-genre of "The Gay Nineties," which refers to the American decade of the 1890s. It is something like the old golden days of Europe, or rather a memory of the good times between the Congress of Vienna and the outbreak of the First World War. It is more or less individual for each part of the world. Mae West offered a slightly spicier take on the whimsical nineties in She Done Him Wrong or Belle of the Nineties, while Disney had The Nifty Nineties, and after the war, she became the indomitable Hello, Dolly! So what is the triumph of this version? Marion's triumph is particularly the final lavish scene shot in 2-strip Technicolor, which I will always have a soft spot for, whether in combination with silent or sound film. (23.10.2020)