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The Wild Party

Play trailer Poster for The Wild Party 1929 1h 17m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 2 Reviews 64% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
A comely collegian (Clara Bow) falls for an anthropology professor (Fredric March) and accompanies him on a jungle expedition.

Critics Reviews

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Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com The film's historical merits are greater than its artistic ones: It's Paramount first sound film, directed by Dorothy Arzner (the only women to have a sustained directing career at the time), and the star is "It" Girl, Clara Bow. Rated: B- Mar 3, 2007 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews It was a frivolous vehicle for the very appealing 'good time girl' Clara. Rated: C Apr 21, 2002 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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William D This is not a very good film. The best thing about it is Clara Bow. Even so, while I found her so thoroughly captivating in 1927's "It" she seems only a step above ordinary here. You can tell they were still working out the kinks for sound films. Director Arzner allows the actors to indulge in the exaggerated gestures and facial expressions reminiscent of the silent era. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/01/23 Full Review Audience Member The best comedy movie ever made! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Audience Member good com-dram & Bow's first talkie Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Clara Bow falls back on silent era gestures occasionally, but for the most part she shows a great command of the role in her first talkie. As directed by Dorothy Arzner this is a nice time capsule of college life amongst girls in the jazz age. There is a scene in a bar when Stella (Bow) and her friends stop for a drink after a prank flops at a party that is still quite relevant today. Some drunks think that the girls' skimpy party outfits are an invitation to drive somewhere and fool around. The reactions of the various other men and women in the bar are interesting. Stella's studious roommate is clearly gorgeous by Hollywood standards, but here is an early example of full-coverage conservative clothes with glasses and traditional long hair rather than the flapper bob turning a face loved by the camera into a nerdy good-girl. Ultimately, Stella uses her somewhat wild reputation to do the right thing and save the reputation and academic career of her roommate. But through most of the picture the focus is on a love story between student and teacher. Stella falls hard for a new, young, and handsome professor played by Fredric March. Two years before March would win an Academy Award for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde he was just beginning to get featured film roles rather than parts as an extra. Here his character expresses some embarrassing racist and male chauvinist ideas, yet, in this decade, his white male civility only makes him more endearing to Miss Stella Ames. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member At last, a 1929 soft porn movie?! Well, let's not get wild party about it. For its day it HAD to be scandalous. But today it looks like innocent teen madness. Girls in their underwear and robes on top of them? [img]http://ia600608.us.archive.org/29/items/TheWildParty/TheWildParty.thumbs/TheWildParty_000174.jpg[/img] Whew! Gotta take a break all through this film! Cold showers all around! ;) [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/74/The_Wild_Party_1929_poster.jpg[/img] College never looked so good. Seems to be an all girl college too. I honestly think that the days of 1929 were more risque and more sexual than TODAY! It seems that lots of contact between the sexes was so easy, why all one had to do is say, "drop the linen and lets get skin'n"! [img]http://ia600608.us.archive.org/29/items/TheWildParty/TheWildParty.thumbs/TheWildParty_000834.jpg[/img] These college gals are hot to trot and there ain't no doubt. [img]http://ia600608.us.archive.org/29/items/TheWildParty/TheWildParty.thumbs/TheWildParty_001014.jpg[/img] The film focuses on an all-girl college where the students are more interested in having fun and partying than studying. Stella Ames (Bow) is the most popular student, with a loud mouth. When the young and attractive professor Gilmore starts working there in anthropology, all the girls immediately feel attracted to him. Stella recognizes him as the man she once accidentally shared a bed with, thereby risking her reputation... [img]http://ia600608.us.archive.org/29/items/TheWildParty/TheWildParty.thumbs/TheWildParty_003172.jpg[/img] Great fun and a great look at what romance comedy looked like. Lots of young gals playing with their professors, toying with them, giggles all around. I think today would be no different. All these gals have one and only one thing on their mind--- Fun! [img]http://ia600608.us.archive.org/29/items/TheWildParty/TheWildParty.thumbs/TheWildParty_002452.jpg[/img] They dance with each other, the damn near have relationships on screen! But do not fear, dogs and cats will not mate, the skys will come back, the sun will rise, the moon will follow. Its the same old tune, gals in romance! Whew, I need a drink! Several of them. [img]http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQS-ktHzqJVhsaKpGuGExicMvLL0F3kgD4ChMWfDF3U4Xtb_9Y1yuxpUn_MEA[/img] SEE a sample 10 minutes here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jduLtRUo_g REVIEWS: 1 Wild girls at a college pay more attention to parties than their classes. But when one party girl, Stella Ames (Clara Bow), [img]http://ia600608.us.archive.org/29/items/TheWildParty/TheWildParty.thumbs/TheWildParty_000714.jpg[/img] goes too far at a local bar and gets in trouble, her professor (Fredric March) has to rescue her. [img]http://ia600608.us.archive.org/29/items/TheWildParty/TheWildParty.thumbs/TheWildParty_000654.jpg[/img] Gossip linking the two escalates until Stella proves she is decent by shielding an innocent girl and winning the professor's respect. [img]http://ia600608.us.archive.org/29/items/TheWildParty/TheWildParty.thumbs/TheWildParty_004131.jpg[/img] 2 Clara Bow is actually quite good, I think she is a better actress than she is given credit for. This early talkie has an interesting plot.... [img]http://ia600608.us.archive.org/29/items/TheWildParty/TheWildParty.thumbs/TheWildParty_003472.jpg[/img] Director: Dorothy Arzner Producer: E. Lloyd Sheldon Production Company: Paramount Pictures Audio/Visual: sound, black & white [img]http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSoNHGCgiDh6_iFOabb_uCG1u-U5vaRnrnyF4lYmCim_DK0LgtyHg[/img] Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Audience Member Clara Bow is actually quite good, I think she is a better actress than she is given credit for. This early talkie has an interesting plot and is well done. Fredric March shows some fine acting in one of his earliest roles. Fascinating. Good direction from Dorothy Arzner, THE pioneer female director. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Wild Party

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Movie Info

Synopsis A comely collegian (Clara Bow) falls for an anthropology professor (Fredric March) and accompanies him on a jungle expedition.
Director
Dorothy Arzner
Screenwriter
Samuel Hopkins Adams, E. Lloyd Sheldon
Production Co
Paramount Pictures
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 17m