Nita Naldi, (March 1895 – February 17, 1961). Was one of the most successful actresses in Hollywood during the "Roaring Twenties. She often performed in the role of the "femme fatale".
Carrie Fisher (born October 21, 1956). Born in Beverly Hills, California, the daughter of singer Eddie Fisher and actress Debbie Reynolds. She is best know for her performance as Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy.
Nita Naldi, was one of the most successful actresses in Hollywood during the "Roaring Twenties", she was often cast in the role of the femme fatale. Nita first performce was in a short film with comedian Johnny Dooley. Naldi quit after finding out he was involved with another woman. She was offered a role in "A Divorce of Convenience". She performed in many small roles in independent films before Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. After which Barrymore and Naldi became friends for many years. Naldi was selected for the role of Dona Sol in the film Blood and Sand. It was her first pairing with Rudolph Valentino and the film was a major success. Naldi became good friends with his wife Natacha Rambova. Naldi performed in many important roles including The Ten Commandments(1923), directed by Cecil B. DeMille. When Valentino fixed his contract problems they performed together in his final Famous Players-Lasky film, A Sainted Devil(1924). Valentinos and Naldi traveled to France to research for their film, The Hooded Falcon (1924). The film was never made but after returning to California they did make Cobra which would be the last film Naldi and Valentino starred together. The Valentinos marriage was in trouble by this time and he banned Rambova from the set. She was given her own film in Rambova's production "What Price Beauty?". Best known for Myrna Loy's first on screen performance. Soon after finishing the Dorothy Gish film "Do Clothes Make the Pirate?" Naldi headed for France, where she married J. Searle Barclay. Soon after Naldi began work on several films including Alfred Hitchcock's second directorial film, The Mountain Eagle (1926). She is often credited, mistakenly, as performing in Hitchcock's, The Pleasure Garden. Please click here, to view Hala Pickfords Awesome : Nita Naldi Biography.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920) is a silent drama starring John Barrymore, Brandon Hurst, Nita Naldi and Martha Mansfield. Directed by John S. Robertson and adapted from the 1886 horror novella by Robert Louis Stevenson, this film is about a scientist who searches for a way to separate the good and the evil in a man. Set in 19th century England, Henry Jekyll, played by John Barrymore, is an idealistic and philanthropic doctor of medicine who spends his time conducting experiments in his laboratory attached to his home and treats his patients at a free clinic for the poor at his own expense. Jekyll is engaged to Millicent Carewe, played by Martha Mansfield. At a dinner gathering at the Carewe home, Millicent's father, Sir George Carewe, played by Brandon Hurst, suggests to Jekyll the possibilities of man living by his instincts yet having another side to his nature. Carewe later accompanies Jekyll to a London music hall where they watch a flirtatious young dancer named Gina, played by Nita Naldi, perform. For the first time in his life, Jekyll awakens to the sense of "his baser emotions." Spending days and nights in his laboratory with his experiments, Jekyll concocts a potion that transforms him into Edward Hyde, an uninhibited rogue with murderous intent. Hyde begins a relationship with the sultry Gina and makes her life miserable. He goes on a murderous rampage and takes control over Jekyll's soul. Jekyll finds over time that it is becoming more and more difficult to separate his two personas. Jekyll becomes a recluse and spends less time with Millicent. When Jekyll's antidote supply runs out to return to his gentler self he tries to fight the urge of evil. Will Jekyll be able to overcome the forces of evil?
"Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" was one of John Barrymore's greatest hits. To turn into Mr. Hyde, Barrymore undergoes a famous on-screen transformation, done without makeup alterations until the moment when a cut provides the viewer with a medium close-up in which he has added warts, new hair, and a false nose. It's amazing how the handsome young man is replaced by an older person with a demonic stare. His eyes now look crazy. His mouth is fixed into an evil grin, and his hands are like claws. A cut then takes the viewer close, and hideous makeup has been added to completely alter his appearance. To watch Barrymore enact this transformation without sound effects, color filters, or camera tricks is an impressive experience. Barrymore's greatest strength as a silent film actor lay in his ability to change physically right before the audience's eyes. Unlike Lon Chaney, Barrymore's changes were more psychological than physical. His transformation from tormented doctor to violent madman shows his tremendous range as an actor. Another memorable moment onscreen is watching Jekyll sleeping in his bed dreaming of being attacked by a ghostly spider crawling upon him. This 1920 production featuring Barrymore remains the best of the adaptations produced during the silent era and the most famous. This film also firmly established Barrymore's film career. What impressed me the most of this version is its horror atmosphere, with the studio sets of the foggy lamplit London slums. Transcending the lack of sound and scratchy picture, this film is worth watching for Barrymore's amazing dual performance as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
It is interesting to note that while filming "The Warrens of Virginia" (1924) in San Antonio, Texas, Martha Mansfield's voluminous 1860's costume went up in flames when a smoker carelessly tossed a match in her direction. She was rushed to a hospital with severe burns; there was virtually no chance of survival. Mansfield died at noon the following day, November 30, 1923. She was 24 years old.
