When Dorothy Davenport's husband, Wallace Reid, died of narcotic addiction in 1923, she turned her hand to directing and producing, starting with "Human Wreckage" (1923), dealing with the evils of drug addiction, then on to "The Red Kimona" about prostitution. The film was based on the sensational 1918 trial of Gabrielle Darley.
The film begins with a prologue as a woman implores us to heed the story of Gabrielle Darley (Priscilla Bonner) - who has already been abandoned by Harold. She follows him to Los Angeles, where she finds him buying a wedding ring for another unfortunate girl. She shoots him and is then bought to trial. She was a sweet country girl who is the family drudge. She is an easy target for Harold (Carl Miller) - she desperately craves affection and is too innocent to realise his talk of marriage and a home is all lies. He takes her to New Orleans where she endures years of bondage and hardship, she wants to imagine a wedding veil but all she can see is a red kimona.
After the trial she is "taken up" by Mrs. Fontaine (Virginia Pearson), a do-gooder society lady who parades Gabrielle around her social set like a prize pet. When the novelty wears off, she sends Gabrielle out alone. "For the first time in 20,000 miles the Fontaine limousine heads toward Ford territory" - meaning Fred, the chauffeur, takes Gabrielle to a fun fair. There are some wonderful scenes of Rainbow Pier Amusement Park and their giant roller-coaster. She finds herself falling in love with Fred but then Mrs. Fontaine tires of her and gives her a recommendation to the County Hospital (Gabrielle has confessed her dream of becoming a nurse). The head of the hospital however, has heard of her notoriety and can't hire her. She looks for work but can't escape her past until, finally desperate, she wires to the New Orleans brothel for money to return. Fred goes looking for her but at the last minute they miss each other - she is involved in a car accident and Fred, in his determination to find her, advises the driver not to stop and help. Gabrielle finally realises her dream to work in a hospital when, as war is declared, there is a shortage of nurses to tend the wounded. Fred, in the meantime, has enlisted and at the film's end they find each other.
After the 1918 court case, the real Gabrielle Darley "abandoned her life of shame and began to live what the court called a "righteous life". No one knew about her scandalous past - until 1925 when the movie "The Red Kimona" was released, telling the sordid story of her life and what's worse, using her right name (Dorothy Davenport did not secure Gabrielle's permission to use her story or her name.) Her identity was now known and she bought a lawsuit against the movie makers. It was one of the first "right to privacy" actions and the court sided with her and the right of decent people to start over again and begin a new life. She also had a brilliant attorney, Earl Rogers (Adela Rogers St. John's father) who was very flamboyant and was also (supposedly) the model Earl Stanley Gardner used for his fictional character Perry Mason. Priscilla Bonner was not a particularly vibrant leading lady and retired at the end of the twenties when she married. This movie is definitely her best known - she was also Clara Bow's downtrodden friend in "It" and was Harry Langdon's leading lady in two of his better comedies "Long Pants" and "The Strong Man". The marvelous George Siegmann had a brief bit as a very nasty customer.
Recommended.
The film begins with a prologue as a woman implores us to heed the story of Gabrielle Darley (Priscilla Bonner) - who has already been abandoned by Harold. She follows him to Los Angeles, where she finds him buying a wedding ring for another unfortunate girl. She shoots him and is then bought to trial. She was a sweet country girl who is the family drudge. She is an easy target for Harold (Carl Miller) - she desperately craves affection and is too innocent to realise his talk of marriage and a home is all lies. He takes her to New Orleans where she endures years of bondage and hardship, she wants to imagine a wedding veil but all she can see is a red kimona.
After the trial she is "taken up" by Mrs. Fontaine (Virginia Pearson), a do-gooder society lady who parades Gabrielle around her social set like a prize pet. When the novelty wears off, she sends Gabrielle out alone. "For the first time in 20,000 miles the Fontaine limousine heads toward Ford territory" - meaning Fred, the chauffeur, takes Gabrielle to a fun fair. There are some wonderful scenes of Rainbow Pier Amusement Park and their giant roller-coaster. She finds herself falling in love with Fred but then Mrs. Fontaine tires of her and gives her a recommendation to the County Hospital (Gabrielle has confessed her dream of becoming a nurse). The head of the hospital however, has heard of her notoriety and can't hire her. She looks for work but can't escape her past until, finally desperate, she wires to the New Orleans brothel for money to return. Fred goes looking for her but at the last minute they miss each other - she is involved in a car accident and Fred, in his determination to find her, advises the driver not to stop and help. Gabrielle finally realises her dream to work in a hospital when, as war is declared, there is a shortage of nurses to tend the wounded. Fred, in the meantime, has enlisted and at the film's end they find each other.
After the 1918 court case, the real Gabrielle Darley "abandoned her life of shame and began to live what the court called a "righteous life". No one knew about her scandalous past - until 1925 when the movie "The Red Kimona" was released, telling the sordid story of her life and what's worse, using her right name (Dorothy Davenport did not secure Gabrielle's permission to use her story or her name.) Her identity was now known and she bought a lawsuit against the movie makers. It was one of the first "right to privacy" actions and the court sided with her and the right of decent people to start over again and begin a new life. She also had a brilliant attorney, Earl Rogers (Adela Rogers St. John's father) who was very flamboyant and was also (supposedly) the model Earl Stanley Gardner used for his fictional character Perry Mason. Priscilla Bonner was not a particularly vibrant leading lady and retired at the end of the twenties when she married. This movie is definitely her best known - she was also Clara Bow's downtrodden friend in "It" and was Harry Langdon's leading lady in two of his better comedies "Long Pants" and "The Strong Man". The marvelous George Siegmann had a brief bit as a very nasty customer.
Recommended.