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Hollywood 1924 AW2450 Costume Black bandeau and shorts. Headdress, necklace, bib, shoes, bracelets. TML. Bellage. Actions Anna May Wong sits opposite an Arab (1, and in full figure, 2) wearing a Hollywood bare minimum--a bandeau and shorts. In another scene she appears to cower in fear (3), again, as a scantily-clad Mongol slave girl. Commentary Chinese-American Anna May Wong begins working in silent films playing erotic, exotic, and ethnic roles. The Thief of Bagdad is her first big picture and places her on the national stage. The silhouette of her costume is not unlike the deux-pièces swimsuit of the 1940s. Wong will retain her "feverish sexuality" through her screen career, and will continue to be renown for her bare-midriff and leggy dance costumes and sultry roles. Myrna Loy also bares her belly in this silent epic (ML2410). Source Raoul Walsh, director, The Thief of Bagdad, 1924, and staring Douglas Fairbanks. Downloads from Wellesley.edu, 2005; silentladies.com, 2009. 3 pictures. |
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