Sex

About the production

The film was made during the early days of Hollywood's moral code enforcement, and its controversial subject matter led to extensive battles with censors. Director Fred Niblo had to fight to keep many scenes intact, and the film was released with numerous cuts in various markets. Louise Glaum's costumes were deliberately designed to be provocative for the time, featuring revealing elements that emphasized her character's seductive nature.

Themes

Themes & topics

Historical background

Sex appeared in 1920, when the late silent period and the transition to sound shaped how movies were financed, distributed, and discussed. Audiences of the day encountered the work amid shifting tastes in acting, pacing, and spectacle. Its focus on a broadway actress uses her sex appeal to ruin a marriage only to dump her lover for a richer prospect mirrors themes circulating in popular culture of that moment.

Why this film matters

Sex (1920) belongs to the wider archive of world cinema, documenting a broadway actress uses her sex appeal to. Archivists and historians value such titles for what they reveal about craft, genre, and audience expectations. Restorations and festival screenings keep the work visible to viewers far beyond its first run.

Making of

The production of Sex was fraught with controversy from its inception. The film's studio, J. Parker Read Jr. Productions, was taking a significant risk by producing such a provocative film during a period of increasing moral scrutiny in Hollywood. Louise Glaum, who had built her career playing 'vamp' roles, was perfectly cast as the predatory Adrienne Renault. The film's most challenging scenes involved the seduction sequences, which had to be carefully choreographed to suggest sexual activity without explicitly showing it, due to the emerging censorship standards. The production team used innovative camera angles and lighting techniques to create a sense of intimacy and danger in these scenes. Many local censorship boards demanded cuts before allowing the film to be shown, resulting in different versions being released in different markets. Despite these challenges, the film was completed on schedule and became among the leading talked-about releases of 1920.

What critics said

Press coverage from 1920 is fragmentary for many titles of this vintage; surviving notices for Sex tend to stress novelty, star power, or topical appeal. Later writing places the picture within its national and generic context, weighing both period conventions and moments that still land for modern viewers. Streaming and disc releases have revived discussion among classic-film audiences.

Did you know?

• The film's provocative title alone caused significant controversy and led to it being banned in several cities across America
• Louise Glaum was one of the highest-paid actresses of the silent era, earning $2,000 per week for this film
• The film was considered so scandalous that it was one of the movies that prompted the creation of the Hays Code in the early 1930s
• Director Fred Niblo married actress Enid Bennett the same year this film was released
• The film was re-released in 1924 under the title 'Sex Madness' to capitalize on its notoriety
• Many theaters refused to display the film's title on their marquees, instead referring to it as 'That Louise Glaum Picture'
• The film was based on a story by playwright and screenwriter C. Gardner Sullivan, who specialized in melodramatic scenarios
• Irving Cummings, who plays the male lead, would later become a prominent director in Hollywood
• The film's success led to several imitations with similarly provocative titles in the early 1920s
• Despite its controversy, the film was praised by some critics for its honest portrayal of sexual manipulation

Visual style

The cinematography of Sex was handled by Victor Milner, who would later become one of Hollywood's most respected cinematographers. The film employed innovative lighting techniques to create a moody, atmospheric quality that enhanced its dramatic impact. Milner used chiaroscuro lighting to emphasize the moral ambiguity of the characters and to create visual metaphors for the film's themes of seduction and corruption. The seduction scenes were particularly notable for their use of soft focus and strategic shadows to suggest intimacy without explicitly showing it. The film also made effective use of close-ups to capture the emotional states of the characters, particularly Louise Glaum's expressive face during moments of manipulation and triumph. The cinematography was praised by contemporary reviewers for its artistic quality and its ability to enhance the film's dramatic tension.

Innovations

While Sex was not particularly innovative in terms of technical achievements, it did demonstrate some notable techniques for its time. The film made effective use of double exposure techniques to create dream sequences and moments of psychological revelation. The editing was particularly sophisticated for 1920, using cross-cutting to build tension during seduction scenes and to contrast the different emotional states of characters. The film also employed innovative makeup techniques to enhance Louise Glaum's vamp persona, using cosmetics to create a more exotic and dangerous appearance. The set design was elaborate for its budget, particularly the theater scenes which recreated Broadway environments with impressive detail. The film's technical aspects, while not groundbreaking, were executed with professional polish that elevated the material beyond exploitation fare.

Music

As a silent film, Sex would have been accompanied by live musical performances during its theatrical run. The original score was composed by William Furst, who was especially prolific composers of silent film music. The score emphasized dramatic themes during moments of seduction and betrayal, using leitmotifs to represent different characters and their emotional states. During seduction scenes, the music would become more romantic and seductive, while moments of moral reckoning were accompanied by more somber, dramatic themes. The score also incorporated popular songs of the era that would have been familiar to contemporary audiences. Unfortunately, the original score has been lost, as was common with silent film music. Modern screenings of the film, when available, typically feature newly composed scores or period-appropriate music compiled from other sources.

Famous quotes

Men are such fools. They think with their hearts, or worse, with their desires, and I know exactly how to play both.

Why should I be satisfied with one man's fortune when there are so many waiting to be conquered?

Love is for the weak. Power is eternal.

Every man has his price, and every man has his weakness. I make it my business to know both.

Society calls me evil, but who is more corrupt? The woman who admits her desires, or the man who betrays his family for them?

Memorable scenes

• The opening theater scene where Adrienne Renault first demonstrates her predatory nature by targeting a wealthy man in the audience
• The seduction sequence in the luxurious apartment where Adrienne systematically breaks down Philip Craig's resistance
• The confrontation scene where Philip's wife discovers the affair, featuring powerful emotional performances from both actresses
• The final scene where Adrienne coldly abandons Philip for a wealthier prospect, revealing her complete lack of remorse
• The montage sequence showing Adrienne's string of conquests, using innovative editing techniques of the era

What audiences thought

Audience reception to Sex was largely positive from a commercial standpoint, despite the controversy. The film's scandalous reputation actually increased public interest, and it performed well at the box office in markets where it was allowed to be shown. Many theatergoers were drawn to the film precisely because of its forbidden nature and the promise of seeing risqué content. The film was particularly popular with urban audiences who were more accepting of modern social changes. However, in more conservative areas, the film faced protests and boycotts from moral reform groups. Despite the controversy, or perhaps because of it, the film helped solidify Louise Glaum's status as a major star of the silent era. The film's success demonstrated that there was a market for more adult-themed content, even as it triggered backlash from conservative elements of society.

Film connections

Influenced by

• The vamp character type established by Theda Bara
• European melodramatic traditions
• Victorian morality plays
• Contemporary Broadway plays dealing with sexual themes

This film influenced

• The 'vamp' films of the early 1920s
• Later films dealing with female sexuality such as 'Baby Face' (1933)
• Film noir's femme fatale archetype

Film restoration

Sex is considered a partially lost film. Only fragments and incomplete copies survive in various film archives, including the Library of Congress and the Museum of Modern Art. The most complete version runs approximately 45 minutes, missing about a third of the original footage. The surviving elements show significant deterioration, with some scenes being nearly unviewable. Several preservation efforts have been undertaken, but the film's controversial nature and the fragility of nitrate film stock have made complete restoration impossible. What survives provides valuable insight into early Hollywood's treatment of adult themes and Louise Glaum's performance style.

Where to watch

• The film is extremely rare and not commercially available on home video or streaming platforms
• Occasionally screened at film archives and silent film festivals when preservation copies are available
• Some fragments may be viewed at the Library of Congress or the Museum of Modern Art by appointment
• Bootleg copies of varying quality circulate among silent film collectors, but these are incomplete and often of poor quality