Expert: DM - 6/9/2008

Question
Hey David, I see in one of your posts you mentioned that the silent movie Fig Leaves is available on VHS and DVD.  Do you have an idea of where I can look for either of them?  I am having no luck online.  Thanks a ton!

Answer
Dear Nicki,

Thank you for asking this important question. The availability of silent films on DVD is increasing, but unfortunately, not all surviving titles are available, nor are those that are on available DVD necessarily derived from the best quality prints available. The market is a very narrow and vertical one, and it is somewhat rare when a distributor elects to release a silent film title on DVD. When one does, it is usually a title that is perceived as having the best chance for sales, which is quite understandable.

As for the Howard Hawks film, Fig Leaves, which starred George O'Brien, it was available on VHS back in the 1980s. I reviewed a VHS  print of that film when doing the research for a new biography of George O'Brien, but it was only in black and white, and to the best of my knowledge, the original Technicolor fashion sequence from the film no longer exists. The print I reviewed had that sequence, but not in color.

Hopefully, someone will bring the delightful comedy back out on DVD for the next generation of viewers to enjoy. Regrettably, I do not know of any distributor that currently has plans to release the film again.


Sincerely,
David Menefee
PO BOX 181662
Dallas, TX. 75218
USA
E-mail: davemenefee@aol.com

Author
Sarah Bernhardt in the Theater of Films and Sound Recordings
The First Female Stars: Women of the Silent Era
The First Male Stars: Men of the Silent Era
Richard Barthelmess: A Life in Pictures
George O'Brien: A Man's Man in Hollywood