A Florida Enchantment. 1914. Directed by Sidney Drew.

(4/20/00)

It's bizarre. And fascinating. And lots of fun. It's about a wealthy young woman who comes to Florida to be with her fiance. He is a doctor who has a woman admirer who throws herself at him. The woman (Lillian) is jealous. And into her hands comes a casket containing four seed which turn women into men and vice versa.

When her fiance seemingly stands her up she takes one and the fun begins. And the fun is watching two actresses have a field day playing men who look like women. Lillian immediately starts swaggering about, pushing guys around and hugging and kissing women who don't know she's changed and think she is just being affectionate as women often are. And they seem to like it. And the fun is increased when she induces (or virtually forces) her black maid to ingest one of the seeds.

Lillian's fiance suddenly becomes a lot more interested, even as s/he loses interest in him. And actress Edith Storey plays it for everything it is worth.

Lillian and her maid/valet go to New York, change into male attire and return. This part of the film disappoints a little--it can't sustain the mood. Eventually "Lawrence Talbot" is accused of murdering Lillian whose clothes have been found. She confesses the whole thing to Dr. Cassadene (the fiance) who is understandably skeptical. But of course there is one wway to prove it; she offers him one of the seeds which he is not afraid to swallow.

And here the film rallies for a bit as we get to watch a male cavort as a female. Eventually, the whole thing is revealed to be a dream which was a dissapointment to me. I like a fantasy to really be a fantasy. Endings which explain things as a dream suggest that someone couldn't find a way to wrap it all up.

Dream or not, A Florida Enchantment is richly imaginative and performed with real gusto by the people who count. I was going to write that it was quite daring for 1914, but I don't know. (There is, after all, a tradition of transvestite comedy that goes way back.) Whatever the case it was made with true good humor.