Theda Bara in "A Fool There Was"

As part of my research into the period of World War One, I watched a video copy of the 1915 Theda Bara movie, A Fool There Was.

It’s a silent, intended both to titillate and to warn against dangerous women. Interestingly, Bara’s character has no name–she’s simply called “The Vampire.”

I did not find Theodosia Goodman (Bara’s real name) to be quite as much a vampire, i.e., vamp, as the audience was obviously meant to. I kept making up little reasonable stories to explain her seemingly awful behavior towards men, because at least she had some spine.

The video quality wasn’t great, and she only had one or two closeups. This is a film I wouldn’t necessarily recommend to anyone for fun, but it’s good research material.

My favorite intertitle: “Kiss me, my fool!”

Vampiric seduction technique: Theda Bara enthralls Schuyler first by having his deck chair placed next to her own, then later by dropping one of her trademark flowers. When he bends to pick it up, she lifts her skirt. Above her ankles. Twice, later on, she deflects him from returning to his wife and Adorable Daughter of the Long Curls simply by entering the room and clasping him in her arms. Did she smear her body with opium?

Favorite historical research moment: The wife of one of Schuyler’s old friends finds out about him and Bara, and refuses to stay in the same hotel. Social contamination from being in the same building?

Best Evil Laugh: Bara yukking it up after a former lover shoots himself in front of her. Really, it was hysteria, because he’d done Bad Things to her…she wasn’t bad, she was just acted that way.

About Victoria Janssen

Victoria Janssen [she, her] currently writes cozy space opera for Kalikoi. The novella series A Place of Refuge begins with Finding Refuge: Telepathic warrior Talia Avi, genius engineer Miki Boudreaux, and augmented soldier Faigin Balfour fought the fascist Federated Colonies for ten years, following the charismatic dissenter Jon Churchill. Then Jon disappeared, Talia was thought dead, and Miki and Faigin struggled to take Jon’s place and stay alive. When the FC is unexpectedly upended, Talia is reunited with her friends and they are given sanctuary on the enigmatic planet Refuge. The trio of former guerillas strive to recover from lifetimes of trauma, build new lives on a planet with endless horizons, and forge tender new connections with each other.
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