The Garden of Eden (1928 film)
Encyclopedia
The Garden of Eden is a 1928
silent movie
starring Corinne Griffith
. It was adapated from Avery Hopwood
's short-lived stage production.
named Toni LeBrun, Corinne Griffith
, is determined not to be content in her current life, staying with her aunt and uncle and working in their pretzel
bakery. The young girl earns a correspondence course degree as an opera singer and dreams of fame on the stage. She decides to leave her small town life, traveling to Budapest
to answer an ad from the Palais de Paris. However, the ad was a sham, a way to get girls for cheap stage shows and more, for its wealthier clientele.
When she arrives, Toni is confused when the manager, the lecherous (and quite possibly lesbian
) Madame Bauer Maude George
, asks her to show her bare legs in lieu of exhibiting her singing voice. She is hired nonetheless, having been deemed sexy enough, while still ignorant of the set-up. She refuses to wear the skimpy costume assigned and is given a white puritan-style costume instead. Before the show, the manager greets aristocrat Henri D'Avril Lowell Sherman
, giving him a menu (of sorts) of the showgirls from which to choose. When he asks if there is anyone new, he is directed to Toni's name on the program. When Toni begins her performance in earnest, the audience starts to slumber, given her conservative dress. But the manager directs a lighting change, which causes her translucent clothing become highly revealing and quite nearly see-through. Through their reaction, Toni realizes what has happened and runs off the stage where she is comforted by the wardrobe woman, Rosa Louise Dresser
, the only friend she's made since arriving in the city.
However, Madame Bauer is not through with Toni yet, she has arranged a rendezvous for her with D’Avril in a room off the stage. Once locked inside with Toni, he quickly tries to take advantage. She struggles against his advances which are heard by Rosa, who is able to come to her rescue. When Madame Bauer discovers that her client didn't get what he wanted, she fires Toni and Rosa on the spot. Conveniently, Rosa was about to leave on a two-week vacation anyway and persuades the forlorn Toni to go with her. They go to Monte Carlo
, but Toni is now suspicious of other people's motives. So when Rosa signs the Eden Hotel register as Baroness & her daughter, Toni accuses her of being no better than Madame Bauer. However, Rosa has documentation which proves that she is in fact a Baroness, and tells Toni that she signed the registration that way because she wishes it were so. Only much of her fortune was lost after the First World War and she can only afford such trips by living frugally for the rest of the year.
Later, when Toni is playing the piano in her room, she is spotted through the window from across the courtyard by Richard Charles Ray. In an amusing scene, he tries to get her attention by signaling her, turning on & off the lights in his room. As a gag, she responds with same, causing everyone else on his entire side of the hotel to do it too. When Rosa sees it, she stops the nonsense. However, Richard then decides to call Toni's room, but Rosa answers and decides to invite him over to put a stop to it. She plays the piano while she waits for Richard to arrive. But he arrives at Rosa's door, where Toni is. Tired of unwanted suitors, she appears uninterested in his flirting, yet doesn't reveal him when Rosa returns & he hides behind a door. Colonel Dupont Edward Martindel
arrives to call on Rosa, but is instantly entranced by Toni. In the doorway, he asks the two ladies to dinner which is witnessed by Richard, who just moments earlier had escaped from their room via another door. Upon hearing their acceptance, Richard joins them, revealing that the Colonel is his uncle. After the dinner, Richard takes Toni for a walk through the hotel's grounds and garden (the title of the film) and they fall in love, losing track of the time.
The rest of the film has Toni being wooed by both Richard and his uncle with a song one of them wrote on the piano. However, there is a surprise involving D'Avril which threatens Toni's happy ending.
1928 in film
-Events:Although some movies released in 1928 had sound, most were still silent.* July 28 - Lights of New York is released by Warner Brothers. It is the first "100% Talkie" feature film, in that dialog is spoken throughout the film...
silent movie
Silent Movie
Silent Movie is a 1976 satirical comedy film co-written, directed by, and starring Mel Brooks, and released by 20th Century Fox on June 17, 1976...
starring Corinne Griffith
Corinne Griffith
Corinne Mae Griffith was an American actress. Dubbed "The Orchid Lady of the Screen", she was one of the most popular film actresses of the 1920s and widely considered the most beautiful actress of the silent screen...
. It was adapated from Avery Hopwood
Avery Hopwood
James Avery Hopwood , was the most successful playwright of the Jazz Age, having four plays running simultaneously on Broadway in 1920.-Biography:...
's short-lived stage production.
Cast
- Corinne GriffithCorinne GriffithCorinne Mae Griffith was an American actress. Dubbed "The Orchid Lady of the Screen", she was one of the most popular film actresses of the 1920s and widely considered the most beautiful actress of the silent screen...
- Toni LeBrun - Louise DresserLouise DresserLouise Dresser was an American actress.Born Louise Josephine Kerlin in Evansville, Indiana. Her father was a train conductor who died when she was fifteen years old...
- Rosa - Lowell ShermanLowell ShermanLowell Sherman was an American actor and film director....
- Henri D'Avril - Maude GeorgeMaude GeorgeMaude George was an American actress of the silent era. She is remembered primarily as a regular of director Eric von Stroheim's stock company of actors appearing in four of von Stroheim's lengthy films in the 1920s....
- Madame Bauer - Charles RayCharles RayCharles Ray was a silent film star. Extremely popular in a series of films casting him in juvenile roles, primarily rural young men, Ray's career faded as he lost his youthful looks- he also had a reputation of being demanding and having an outsized ego...
- Richard Dupont/Spanyi - Edward MartindelEdward MartindelEdward Martindel was an American stage and film actor. He appeared on Broadway and in 89 films between 1915 and 1946....
- Colonel Dupont
Plot
A Viennese ingénueIngenue (stock character)
See also Disingenuous, which is not quite the antonym that it may seem!The ingénue is a stock character in literature, film, and a role type in the theatre; generally a girl or a young woman who is endearingly innocent and wholesome. Ingenue may also refer to a new young actress or one typecast in...
named Toni LeBrun, Corinne Griffith
Corinne Griffith
Corinne Mae Griffith was an American actress. Dubbed "The Orchid Lady of the Screen", she was one of the most popular film actresses of the 1920s and widely considered the most beautiful actress of the silent screen...
, is determined not to be content in her current life, staying with her aunt and uncle and working in their pretzel
Pretzel
A pretzel is a type of baked food made from dough in soft and hard varieties and savory or sweet flavors in a unique knot-like shape, originating in Europe...
bakery. The young girl earns a correspondence course degree as an opera singer and dreams of fame on the stage. She decides to leave her small town life, traveling to Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
to answer an ad from the Palais de Paris. However, the ad was a sham, a way to get girls for cheap stage shows and more, for its wealthier clientele.
When she arrives, Toni is confused when the manager, the lecherous (and quite possibly lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
) Madame Bauer Maude George
Maude George
Maude George was an American actress of the silent era. She is remembered primarily as a regular of director Eric von Stroheim's stock company of actors appearing in four of von Stroheim's lengthy films in the 1920s....
, asks her to show her bare legs in lieu of exhibiting her singing voice. She is hired nonetheless, having been deemed sexy enough, while still ignorant of the set-up. She refuses to wear the skimpy costume assigned and is given a white puritan-style costume instead. Before the show, the manager greets aristocrat Henri D'Avril Lowell Sherman
Lowell Sherman
Lowell Sherman was an American actor and film director....
, giving him a menu (of sorts) of the showgirls from which to choose. When he asks if there is anyone new, he is directed to Toni's name on the program. When Toni begins her performance in earnest, the audience starts to slumber, given her conservative dress. But the manager directs a lighting change, which causes her translucent clothing become highly revealing and quite nearly see-through. Through their reaction, Toni realizes what has happened and runs off the stage where she is comforted by the wardrobe woman, Rosa Louise Dresser
Louise Dresser
Louise Dresser was an American actress.Born Louise Josephine Kerlin in Evansville, Indiana. Her father was a train conductor who died when she was fifteen years old...
, the only friend she's made since arriving in the city.
However, Madame Bauer is not through with Toni yet, she has arranged a rendezvous for her with D’Avril in a room off the stage. Once locked inside with Toni, he quickly tries to take advantage. She struggles against his advances which are heard by Rosa, who is able to come to her rescue. When Madame Bauer discovers that her client didn't get what he wanted, she fires Toni and Rosa on the spot. Conveniently, Rosa was about to leave on a two-week vacation anyway and persuades the forlorn Toni to go with her. They go to Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo is an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco....
, but Toni is now suspicious of other people's motives. So when Rosa signs the Eden Hotel register as Baroness & her daughter, Toni accuses her of being no better than Madame Bauer. However, Rosa has documentation which proves that she is in fact a Baroness, and tells Toni that she signed the registration that way because she wishes it were so. Only much of her fortune was lost after the First World War and she can only afford such trips by living frugally for the rest of the year.
Later, when Toni is playing the piano in her room, she is spotted through the window from across the courtyard by Richard Charles Ray. In an amusing scene, he tries to get her attention by signaling her, turning on & off the lights in his room. As a gag, she responds with same, causing everyone else on his entire side of the hotel to do it too. When Rosa sees it, she stops the nonsense. However, Richard then decides to call Toni's room, but Rosa answers and decides to invite him over to put a stop to it. She plays the piano while she waits for Richard to arrive. But he arrives at Rosa's door, where Toni is. Tired of unwanted suitors, she appears uninterested in his flirting, yet doesn't reveal him when Rosa returns & he hides behind a door. Colonel Dupont Edward Martindel
Edward Martindel
Edward Martindel was an American stage and film actor. He appeared on Broadway and in 89 films between 1915 and 1946....
arrives to call on Rosa, but is instantly entranced by Toni. In the doorway, he asks the two ladies to dinner which is witnessed by Richard, who just moments earlier had escaped from their room via another door. Upon hearing their acceptance, Richard joins them, revealing that the Colonel is his uncle. After the dinner, Richard takes Toni for a walk through the hotel's grounds and garden (the title of the film) and they fall in love, losing track of the time.
The rest of the film has Toni being wooed by both Richard and his uncle with a song one of them wrote on the piano. However, there is a surprise involving D'Avril which threatens Toni's happy ending.
