A Florida Enchantment is notable for several reasons:
It is an early (1914) American movie in which homosexuality, cross-dressing, and "gender-bending" (or in the modern vernacular "gender fluidity") are key elements -- indeed the main themes -- in the plot.
It was directed by Sidney Drew (uncle of Lionel, Ethel, and John Barrymore and ancestor of John Drew and Drew Barrymore) who also starred in this Vitagraph comedy.
The scenario was co-authored by Marguerite Bertsch, a "pioneer" among women filmmakers.
After the female protagonist changes her sex, she adopts the name "Lawrence Talbot" -- which 27 years later was the human identify of another shape-shifter: "The Wolfman."
It is a bit ironic that they chose Florida as the location for this film because nowadays Florida (or more specifically Miami) is known for being a very pro-LGBT place.
The French film "Meet Me at the Fountain" is another early gender bending movie in a similar vein to this one but it's from France. A man seeks a wife and you'll never guess who he chooses at the end.
LostHorizons wrote: ↑November 7th, 2022, 2:23 pm
The French film "Meet Me at the Fountain" is another early gender bending movie in a similar vein to this one but it's from France. A man seeks a wife and you'll never guess who he chooses at the end.
Very amusing! I wonder if Buster Keaton saw Meet Me at the Fountain and was inspired to make Seven Chances.
"Start every day off with a smile and get it over with." -- W.C. Fields
I haven't seen it, but I see that it was filmed in St. Augustine, which is about 45 minutes from where I am. The local elementary schools always take field trips there to the old Spanish forts.
About 15 minutes north of St. Augustine is Jacksonville, FL, where I was born. It was one of the earliest film centers. Here's a blog post about it, for anyone interested:
LawrenceA wrote: ↑November 7th, 2022, 6:48 pm
I haven't seen it, but I see that it was filmed in St. Augustine, which is about 45 minutes from where I am. The local elementary schools always take field trips there to the old Spanish forts.
About 15 minutes north of St. Augustine is Jacksonville, FL, where I was born. It was one of the earliest film centers. Here's a blog post about it, for anyone interested:
That’s a very interesting article. Thanks for sharing. I actually did watch “The Flying Ace” the last time it was on TCM and wasn’t really thrilled with it. Something I noticed is that the lighter skinned African-Americans are the protagonists and the darker ones are all the bad guys. I feel that was probably intentional on Mr. Norman’s part but also he had an audience he had to cater to that wasn’t really foreword thinking in many regards.
