One of Howard Hawks's early efforts, this delightful comedy already presages many of the thematic concerns of his later masterpieces. The Garden of Eden bookends resemble a silent-era "Flintstones", with rocks and dinosaurs ingeniously serving modern bourgeois purposes. The contemporary section is a sophisticated comedy of manners, taking jabs at the evolving status of women and the never-changing essential obsessions of the sexes. George O'Brien expertly plays the idealized American male, and sidekick Heinie Conklin has several fine slapstick moments. The intertitle dialogue is also highly amusing.
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goblinhairedguy26 September 2003
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F Gwynplaine MacIntyre23 October 2005'Fig Leaves' is a clever marital comedy, starring the rugged George O'Brien and the very sensual Olive Borden. In the prologue, they play Adam and Eve, got up in caveman cozzies. They've been invited to a fight between Cain and Abel, but Eve demurs. 'How can I go, Adam?' she asks her husband. 'I've nothing to wear!'
Fade in 6,000 years later. (That's the film's chronology, not mine.) O'Brien and Borden are now a modern prole couple, plumber Adam Smith (shouldn't he be an economist?) and his wife Eve. Their home is not the Garden of Eden, but a walk-up flat. The neighbour across the hall is Alice Atkins, whom an intertitle identifies as the modern serpent in Adam's and Eve's paradise. To stir up trouble, Alice suggests to Eve that she should get her husband to buy her some new clothes.
Eve wants a new hat, but Adam tells her he can't afford it. Through a series of contrived events, Eve lands up getting a job as a model for couturier André (a very swishy performance by the hilarious André de Beranger). He gets her pinned up in an outfit which I found very impressive: it manages to be fussily elaborate (providing a running sight gag) while at the same go it's spare enough to reveal ample portions of Olive Borden's delightful physique. A title card admits the contradiction: 'With some women, clothes are next to godliness. And with others, next to nothing.'
SPOILERS COMING. Adam has had a change of heart. He decides to buy his wife a fur coat from the poshest boutique in town. He walks into André's emporium, and is scandalised when he discovers that the half-naked mannequin is his own wife. They quarrel, but of course they make up. Adam offers to take his wife to a show. This time, we know what her reply will be: 'I've got nothing to wear!'
'Fig Leaves' is bright and cheeky, and Olive Borden is always a pleasure to look at. Heinie Conklin supplies splendid low comedy as O'Brien's assistant (a plumber's helper). I'll rate this pleasant froth 7 out of 10. -
thao28 August 2007Fig Leaves
The film is set in two different ages; just after the fall and in "modern" times. The film jumps back and forth in time, thereby underlining that nothing has changed since the beginning of time.
The title of the film refers to women's clothes; or as it says is one of the inter-titles:
In the beginning woman had three problems; "I haven't a thing to wear." "I haven't a thing to wear." "I haven't a thing to wear."
Problem in Paradise arises because Eve wants something new to wear. But it is not the only problem. There are two snake figures in the modern tale, a man who desires Eve (Josef) and a woman who desires Adam (Alice). Both play on Eve's desire for clothes to get what they want, and both are quite clearly associated with the snake (the woman turns in to a snake while the man is called a worm).
The beginning of time is like a scene from The Flintstones (which makes one wonder if their origin can be traced to this film). The bus is a wagon pulled by a dinosaur and the newspaper is a stone tablet. One of the main news is about "Bad Blood between Kain and Abel" and here are at least two ads in the "paper". The first one goes like this: "Try Forbidden fruit: An apple a day keeps the doctor away." And the other one is an ad on a big fig-leave sale:
Eve: "Here is a wonderful bargain sale in fig-leaves!" Adam: "I can't seem to get hysterical about that." Eve: "But Adam I have nothing to wear." Adam: "Why Darling! You have plenty of clothes and you look better in them than any woman I have seen." Eve pretends she is crying and Adam answers determent back: "Ever since you ate that apple you've had the gimmies. First twin-beds and now it's clothes."
Adam is a plumber in the modern scenes and Eve a bored housewife. Alice is Eve's neighbor a woman with a worm tong and the hots for Adam. Eve meats Andre on the streets, a dress designer, who falls for almost any woman who crosses his path. He tells Eve that she is an inspiration to him and wants her to work for him as a model. Adam protests but Eve decides to go ahead anyway, after consulting with Alice:
Eve: "Look at this dress Alice it's hopeless what would you do?" (There is a close-up of an apple Eve picks up. Eve eats it passionately while listening to Alice). Alice: "Men are so stupid! They never seem to realize that we must have pretty things! My advice to you is to get all the pretty clothes you want, regardless of Adam."
The goals of Alice and Josef prove fruitless in the end and Eve confesses (here in the past): "I've learned my lesson I know now that clothes don't mean everything." Adam is pleased and says: "By the way, Cain and Abel are having a slaying party tonight. Let's go." To this Eve replies: "But Adam I haven't a thing to wear."
The main problem with the film is not only how dated the gender roles are but also the implication that gender roles are a law of nature. It's also interesting that Eve is responsible for the fall. Her desire for pretty things make her an easy target and one could even go so far as to say that her condition (desires) is the fall it self. True, Adam is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, and he is tempted by Alice but his love for Eve is always pure and genuine. It is Eve's obsession with cloths that complicates things and invites danger. -
dbdumonteil4 April 2010Probably inspired by Cecil De Mille's "the ten commandments" (1923),but in a much more modest way, ,Howard Hawks begins his movie with a prologue showing Adam and Eve after the Fall : they live is some kind of prehistoric world ,in which Eve is looking forward to going to the fig leaves sale.Anachronisms abound and the subtitles are very witty,which is very rare in a silent movie.
Hawks' theory was : "the snake was none other than another woman in disguise".Thus edified,we go straight from the Iron age (?)into the twentieth century ...when woman's main concern is the clothes she is going to wear to impress her best (female ) friend .In 1926,a man would not want her wife to work ,so she 's got to expend a lot of energy when she's got nothing left to wear.The pawnshop gag may have inspired Roald Dahl for "Mrs Bixby and the colonel's coat" which was first published in 1959 (and would become a short in the "Hitchcock presents" series).
"Fig Leaves" is sometimes much fun to watch and is to be recommended ,even to these who dislike silent flicks. -
davidmvining25 May 2021Howard Hawks' first film, The Road to Glory, is lost to time, so I start here with his first comedy and second film, Fig Leaves. A comedy about the unchanging nature of the relationships between men and women over time, it is surprisingly funny 95 years after its production, but it also bears some of the more problematic conventions of silent films that end up making this 70-minute movie drag a fair bit.
The movie begins with an extended sequence of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and it's a proto-Flinstones. Adam wakes up to an alarm that drops a coconut on his head by the weight of sand on a scale. There's a dinosaur that drags a bus. The newspaper is a rock chiseled with the news that Adam breaks over his knee so that Eve can read what she wants on the other side. This is all absolutely delightful stuff.
Then the movie moves into the modern day, well, 1920s New York, and it loses something. There's a dual story going on where the relationships between men and women have never really changed over thousands of years. Instead of new fig leaves that Eve wants to spend Adam's hard-earned currency on, it's dresses. He's a plumber, and she's a stay at home wife who wants to get out of the house. Adam's partner in the plumbing trade convinces him that he needs to be less of a pushover, getting Adam to playact cartoonish dominance over his wife that ends with Eve sneaking in and getting choked by Adam. This is extremely broad humor, and it's amusing.
Their neighbor across the hall, a young woman, has designs on Adam and convinces Eve to follow up with a fashion designer that she ran into on the street. Actually, she got hit by his car in a very weird (and quick) bit of early special effects that looks like they took an image of Eve, manipulated her image to scrunch her up in the grill of the car, and then she and the car pass out of frame to the right. This all happens in less than a second, but it was so jarring visually that I actually rewound the movie to see what was going on. It's not really a criticism on my part (for the comedic effect of a girl being hit by a car I think it works quite well). It's just a very early effort at creating a special effect that I find interesting.
Anyway, Eve decides to go work for the fashion designer (Andre), and we get some extended sequences that should be in color. They were filmed with Technicolor's early (and expensive and unrepresentative of real color) 2-strip color process, but those are apparently lost to time. All that's left is the black and white version which undermines a lot of what these sequences are supposed to be. These are supposed to be moments of spectacle, but the black and white presentation turns them into a bit of a muddle. There really is something missing from the sequence without the color.
The rest of the movie is Adam finding out about Eve's new job, and the neighbor trying to pull the two apart by pushing Eve away from Adam and pulling Adam towards her with a night of drinking. It's here, I think, where the movie is least successful, and it has to do with the lack of specificity in character in silent movies. There's a severe limitation in silent movies when it comes to character because we hear so little of what they say. This can be overcome, and was often overcome with great success by many other silent films, but here it is not overcome. Adam feels rather generic along with the neighbor, so it ends up feeling rather shallow. This is also where the movie is the least amusing from a purely comedic point of view, trying its hand at drama that suffers from the lack of character specificity.
When Adam regains his sense of self and retains his wife by having her quit her job so that he can provide for her on his own, the movie returns to the Ancient world of Flinstones like dinosaurs to show the original Adam and Eve resolving in much the same way.
This is broad silent comedy undercut by its inability to draw characters specific enough to carry the dramatic moments. It's a decent way to spend 70 minutes, but I have a feeling that Howard Hawks is going to be reaching far greater heights in his future. -
boblipton21 May 2018Hawks' second film as director and his oldest survivor has gorgeous housewife Olive Borden married to gorgeous plumber George O'Brien. She wants lots of new clothes, the fig leaves of the title, and designer Georges Beranger offers to make her a model -- and hopes to make her, too.
It's a completely undistinguished journeyman comedy, eked out with a Flintstones-like prologue and epilogue, a fashion show (originally presented in two-strip Technicolor, although only black-and-white elements have survived) and Heinie Conklin as O'Brien's comic assistant who is not in the least funny. Phyllis Haver has some funny bits as a trouble-making neighbor, but despite the leads putting a lot of energy into their performance, the film is flat, predictable and rarely funny. Its only interest is that it is a Hawks film, which, unless you're a complete believer that everything an auteur does is brilliant and you'll figure out how after you've thought about it long enough, is no recommendation. -
Damfino18952 October 2005This is not one of the more well known silents, or indeed one of Howard Hawks' more famous movies, but, that doesn't mean it is not a very good and entertaining movie. Set in two different ages, stone age at the start and the end and at the present time (the 1920's)in between, which is the major part of it, it deals with the battle of the sexes, in this case a married couple, Adam and Eve. The start is very very funny and very imaginative. The inter titles and the headlines in the newspapers had me laughing out loud, which believe me, is not something I do often. Then it dissolves into the modern day very nicely with Adam now a plumber and Eve, a discontented stay at home wife, the snake in the modern day being trouble making neighbour Alice. Out in the city Eve is knocked over by a car who's passenger's is hoity toity dress designer, Andre. This part of the story is the only sticking point as it seems to come across as a showcase for designer Adrian's gowns and slows the story down somewhat. That aside this is a terrific little film with super performances all around. A favourite, and slightly odd moment, is muscular he-man George O'Brien mincing as a woman ( not in drag, mind you), but, he always came across as an actor with no vanity and is all the more endearing for that. Heinie Conklin also shines as his sidekick and the female lead, Olive Borden does a great job as Eve. This is a neatly observed comedy that for the most part is excellent. If you have the chance I suggest that you see it and I wonder if you will be reminded, by the early sequences of a 1960's cartoon starring Fred and Wilma.
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The silent era of cinema was a remarkable period. Some of the greatest films ever made hail from these early years of the medium; alternatively, no few other titles epitomize the notion of "simpler entertainment for a simpler time," and are especially difficult for modern viewers to engage with. I think it's safe to say that this is one of the latter. In its bookend portions , set in the "Garden of Eden," the humor rides a fine line between mildly clever and inventive and hopelessly tacky in its anachronisms recalling 'The Flintstones.' Fabricated creatures are humble even by the standards of the 1920s; intertitles play fast and loose with notions of Christian mythology in a way that would surely both inflame the religious and annoy the irreligious. (To the latter point, at least, I can confirm - yes.) In both the prehistoric and contemporary settings the writing also tries to be smart and cheeky about gender dynamics, though I think it's much less successful in this regard. With or without taking up the prejudice in the foundational mythology that specifically lowers and demonizes women, and elevates and lionizes men, too many jokes and gags just come off now as patronizing, mocking, and casually or pointedly sexist instead of lighthearted. Whoops.
'Fig leaves' isn't bad, but it hasn't entirely aged well. To whatever extent other features of the time dallied with norms and values well removed from those of several decades later, this is all but completely awash in it. The storytelling and comedy is thusly less relatable, and less universal, and just doesn't meet with the same success in 2023 that it must have in 1926. This isn't to say that there's no enjoyment to be had here, but the best quality in retrospect lies in those instances when a bit is witty or silly in its own right - even, yes, those many scenes playing off relationships between men and women - and not tied to distinct beliefs, mores, or attitudes. Needless to say, for all the worth that the writing can thusly claim, there's just less of it than there would be otherwise, to say nothing of the question of how funny an inclusion is in the first place. One way or another, this is a mixed bag.
Mind you, in other ways 'Fig leaves' is quite well done. The costume design is marvelous and possibly one of the actual chief highlights, with the sets only half a step behind. Some of the hair and makeup is a tad overdone, but mostly these are splendid. Howard Hawks' direction, Joseph H. August's cinematography, and arguably more so Rose Smith's editing, are altogether pretty terrific. The cast give excellent performances leaning into the ridiculousness, not least Olive Borden and George O'Brien who by far have the most time on-screen. This is true even though, sure enough, the acting falls into the same category as much of the silent era of emphatically exaggerated expressions and body language that follow from the stage and compensate for lack of sound and verbal dialogue. And I'll even say that despite weaknesses in the details that are at least on par with the commensurate intelligence, in the broad strokes the writing is characterized by some swell ideas. There is, in fact, plenty of strength here; it's unfortunate that filmmaker Hawks and screenwriters Louis D. Lighton and Hope Loring wove so much of it around discrete standards, ideals, principles, or stances that restrict the lasting power of the title.
When all is said and done, this is surely a piece that's best suggested only for those who are already enamored of the silent era and all its idiosyncrasies. Even with that in mind I think the humor is much too "hit or miss" to earn a particularly strong recommendation. This is something for those who have a major interest in some regard, who are just downright curious, or who are such avid cinephiles that abject quality doesn't necessarily into consideration. 'Fig leaves' is fun to an extent, but whereas the best of comedy never grows old (see Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Ernst Lubitsch), almost 100 years later this doesn't hold up as well as one would hope based on some of its kin. -
kidboots10 June 2019Olive Borden was a beautiful star equally at home in westerns but shining in scintillating, sophisticated comedies like "Fig Leaves" and "Pajamas". In 1925 she was named a Wampas Baby Star, secured a contract at Fox and became engaged to George O'Brien but then it all went horribly wrong. She spent money like water and instead of calmly negotiating her Fox contract, threw a tantrum and left the office vowing she was through with Hollywood. She wasn't but Hollywood was almost through with her!!
George O'Brien's nickname was "The Torso", Olive was cuteness personified so why not open the movie with an Adam and Eve scene that will tick all the boxes on their attributes!! In a scene reminiscent of the Flintstones, Adam and Eve share a blissful treehouse where newspapers are written on rocks, Adam goes off to work in a dinosaur street car and Eve entertains Madame Asp!!
Fast forward to 1926 and Eve Smith, smart young housewife is still being tempted by a serpent - this time provocative neighbour Alice Atkins (alluring Phyllis Haver) whose little asides make Eve discontented. While out shopping she is run over by a foppish fashion designer Andre who thinks he is God's gift to women - George Beranger who, I thought was so funny in Doug Fairbank's "Flirting With Fate" is excellent here. He sees Eve as his new muse, she sees modelling as a way of earning money to buy the clothes she wants!! When she comes home with a fur coat, Alice has a great idea that will enable Eve to keep the coat and Adam still being none the wiser - it doesn't work out that way and while Eve ends up with a saxophone, Alice gets the coat!! There's also a scene where Alice entices Adam over to fix a faulty lamp and by the time he gets back - Eve is not amused!! Well, George O'Brien is topped billed but it is Olive's movie all the way. Once she becomes the designer's muse the film becomes almost one continuous fashion show - it must have been just glorious to view it in colour, seeing the fashions of the the day modelled by the top beauties (I know they weren't mentioned in the cast but I'm sure I spotted Pauline Starke as Andre's old flame and Rosalind Byrn as a knowing model). And when Adam (along with Heinie Conklin as a very unfunny sidekick) decides to go to the fashion show to buy Eve a surprise outfit and sees her as the star of the show - Fireworks!!!
It takes an over heard conversation in which Alice claims that Adam gave her the fur coat, to make everything happy in loveland again!!
Just an all round fun movie!! -
joan_freyer20 December 2010Fig Leaves is a forgotten screen gem that should be out on DVD. It is an early Howark Hawks screwball comedy with George O'Brien doing a Cary Grant before there was Cary Grant role. The satire of the 10 Commandments is great.
The actors are very funny. Seeing this makes you realize how good George O'Brien was. He was discovered in the Iron Horse and mostly did westerns but here he is a great comic actor and in Sunrise he did a great dramatic part too. He had a surprising range. It is a pity more people cannot see this film.
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HarleanHayworth14 December 2019Fig Leaves is a delightful silent comedy directed by Howard Hawks. The movie stars the Olive Borden and George O'Brien as a married couple named Adam and Eve and Phyllis Haver as their neighbor. In the opening sequence we meet the original Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. This scene will probably remind you of an episode The Flintstones. Then we move into modern day (the 1920s) where Eve is a bored housewife married to Adam the plumber. Her main complaint is she never has anything to wear. Although she knows Adam will be mad she gets a job as a model. Meanwhile her sexy neighbor takes the opportunity to try to seduce Adam.
Olive Borden gives a wonderful performance as Eve - it's one of the best of her career. She and George O'Brien were a real-life couple (they met making the Western 3 Bad Men) and they have amazing onscreen chemistry. Olive was one of the most beautiful and promising actresses of the silent era. Sadly her film career didn't survive the talkies and she died penniless in 1947. Another "star" of Fig Leaves are the amazing gowns designed by Gilbert Adrian. They reportedly cost more than $50,000 to make. The movie originally had a color fashion show sequence but this scene is now considered lost.
Overall this is a fabulous silent comedy with great fashions. Ten Stars **********