A silent Cinderella dream where reality melts into footlights — and nobody's seen it in 100 years.
Diminutive heroine Ella Hall dreams that she's Cinderella, and that a wealthy gentleman of her acquaintance (played by Leonard) is her Prince Charming. All of this takes place during a musical stage production of Cinderella, a sequence distinguished by its authentic backstage atmosphere.
Direction
Leonard blurs dream and stage with surprising formal playfulness.
Production
Authentic backstage grit — real greasepaint, real rope systems.
Director
Robert Z. Leonard
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Robert Z. Leonard later became MGM's most reliable director of glamour — this is his grubby, formative apprenticeship.
In 1916, 'the cripple' was stock melodrama; this film's casting of Benedict, who had an actual disability, was rare enough to note in trade papers.
No ratings yet
Sign in to join the discussion — comments are spoiler-gated to your watch progress.
Discussion starters
US
