The third of eight films that Gloria Swanson made with favorite director Allan Dwan, Manhandled gave the Hollywood superstar a chance to break out of costume dramas and her image as a glamour queen. In this 1924 comedy she plays Tessie, a sweetly clumsy department store salesgirl who crashes high society. Swanson’s working-class character in a flapper bob is adorably down to earth: she snaps gum, wears cheap frocks, and endures the indignities of urban life, from pushy customers at the bargain tables of her store to the crush of subway commuters who knock her around on the ride home. Tired of being neglected by her boyfriend, Tessie accepts an invitation to a high society party and parlays her comic impression of a Russian countess into a job at a tea room in a posh dress shop. But she also finds herself fighting off a succession of society "gentlemen" who treat this working girl like a sexual plaything. The mix of hardscrabble working-class life, high society satire, and slapstick humor is balanced beautifully by Dwan, and the society sequences give Swanson moments of high glamour (even while playing the scenes for humor). Featuring an original piano score composed and performed by Makia Matsumura, extras include an audio commentary by film scholar Gaylyn Studlar, and a booklet. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)
Manhandled
Kino Lorber, 63 min., not rated, DVD: $19.99, Blu-ray: $29.99 Volume 33, Issue 4
Manhandled
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