The Folly of Vanity

As described in a review in a film magazine,{{cite journal |last=Sewel |first=Charles S. |author-link= |title=The Folly of Vanity; Interesting Modern Story and Spectacular Under-Sea Fantasy Are Combined in this Fox Feature |journal=The Moving Picture World |volume=72 |issue=7 |pages=702 |publisher=Chalmers Publishing Co. |location=New York City |date=14 February 1925 |url=https://archive.org/details/movingpicturewor72janf/page/702/mode/1up |access-date=4 September 2021}} Alice (Dove), a beautiful young wife, loves jewelry and spends some money intended for other purposes to buy an imitation pearl necklace. Her husband Robert (Muhall) invites Ridgeway (St. Polis), a wealthy client, to dinner. Ridgeway is a conoisseur of women and pearls and invites the young couple to a party he is giving. Robert chides Alice for buying the pearls and declines the invitation but Alice, determined to go, gets her way. Ridgeway presents his guests with expensive jewelry as souvenirs and, unable to persuade Alice to take any, insists that she wear a beautiful pearl necklace to restore its lustre.

The whole crowd is invited on a yacht cruise where Ridgeway is attentive to Alice, while a wealthy widow (Blythe) attracts Robert. Alice and Robert have a quarrel. That night Alice dreams that Ridgeway is attempting to attack her. She jumps into the sea and is carried to Neptune's court where all wonders and beauties are shown her. Neptune (Klein) is depicted as surrounded by beautiful maidens who are scatily clad or unclad. A festival is held in Alice's honor. A witch (Drovnar) discovers that an imprint has been on her neck by the pearl necklace, a mark of vanity, and Neptune orders her cast out.

Awakening, Alice returns the necklace to Ridgeway, and by mistake enters Robert's room, where a reconciliation occurs.

{{Cast listing|

Modern part

• Billie Dove as Alice
• Jack Mulhall as Robert
• Betty Blythe as Bella Howard
• John St. Polis as Mr. Ridgeway
• Fred Becker as The Banker
• Otto Matiesen as Frenchman
• Byron Munson as Old Johnny
• Edna Mae Cooper as Russian Vamp
• Fonzie Gunn as Scandinavian Type
• Marcella Daly as French woman
• Lotus Thompson as Blond Gold Digger
• Al Mazzola (uncredited)

Fantasy part

• Consuelo as Thetis
• Jean La Motte as Lorelei
• Bob Klein as Neptune
• Ena Gregory as The Siren
• Lola Drovnar as The Witch
• Paul Weigel as Old roué

}}

Portions of the dream fantasy sequence were tinted in various shades, some to indicate being underwater.

A print of The Folly of Vanity reportedly is held in the Národní filmový archiv and in an American collection.[http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.mbrs.sfdb.2957/default.html The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: The Folly of Vanity]

{{reflist}}

{{commons category|The Folly of Vanity}}

• {{IMDb title|0015831}}
• [https://www.silentfilmstillarchive.com/follyof.htm Still] at silentfilmstillarchive.com

{{Maurice Elvey}}

{{Henry Otto}}

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Category:1924 films

Category:American silent feature films

Category:Fox Film films

Category:Films directed by Henry Otto

Category:Films directed by Maurice Elvey

Category:1924 drama films

Category:American black-and-white films

Category:Silent American drama films

Category:1920s English-language films

Category:1920s American films

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