Male and Female

Plot

The film centers on the relationship between Lady Mary Loam (Swanson), a British aristocrat, and her butler, Crichton (Meighan). Crichton fancies a romance with Mary, but she disdains him because of his lower social class. When the two and some others are shipwrecked on a deserted island, they are left to fend for themselves in a state of nature.

The aristocrats' abilities to survive are far worse than those of Crichton, and a role reversal ensues, with the butler becoming a king among the stranded group. Crichton and Mary are about to wed on the island when the group is rescued. Upon returning to Britain, Crichton chooses not to marry Mary; instead, he asks a maid, Tweeny (who was attracted to Crichton throughout the film), to marry him, and the two move to the United States.

Production

The film contains two famous scenes, indicative of de Mille's predilections as a filmmaker.

An early scene depicts Gloria Swanson bathing in an elaborate setting, attended by two maids, lavishing her with rosewater and bath salts, silk dressing gown, and luxurious towels.

Toward the end of the film, a fantasy sequence about ancient Babylon shows Swanson posed as Gabriel von Max's famous painting The Lion's Bride, which involved her being photographed with an actual lion.

Cast

Lila Lee as Tweeny, the scullery maid

Theodore Roberts as Lord Loam

Raymond Hatton as Honorable Ernest 'Ernie' Wolley

Mildred Reardon as Lady Agatha 'Aggie' Lasenby

Gloria Swanson as Lady Mary Lasenby

Thomas Meighan as Crichton, the butler

Robert Cain as Lord Brockelhurst

Bebe Daniels as King's Favorite

Julia Faye as Susan, 2nd Maid

Rhy Darby as Lady Eileen Duncraigie

Edmund Burns as Treherne

Henry Woodward as McGuire, Lady Eileen's Chauffeur

Sydney Deane as Thomas

Wesley Barry as Buttons, the Boy

Accolades

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

2002: AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions – Nominated

DVD release

Male and Female was released on Region 0 DVD-R by Alpha Video on January 28, 2014.