Kiki

Romantic comedy starring Norma Talmadge who is terrific playing Kiki, waif who sells newspapers on a Paris street corner, she longs to sing in the local Follies revue, not to mention she's madly in love with the manager of the revue, who she admires longingly from afar. When the Follies needs a replacement singer, Kiki spends her rent money on a new outfit complete with gigantic checkered bow tie, piles of bangle bracelets, and beret topped with a long, wild feather - she soon tricks her way into the theater's office and into getting hired. Kiki is an energetic, feisty little fireball who is soon getting into fights with the manager's stuck-up girlfriend all in hot pursuit of the man she wants.

This film is both fun and funny, Talmadge is just great in her part - there is one scene where she is pretending to be catatonic and she holds her body stiff as a board while the characters manipulate her legs up and down, pick her up, move her stiff hands back and forth, etc. - well done and highly amusing. Ronald Colman, who plays the manager, is dashing and extremely handsome in this, as usual. There are also some amusing scenes with a rather prissy valet who is constantly in conflict with Kiki as she has managed to get herself ensconced in Colman's house and won't leave. An excellent silent film.