Produced especially to showcase Clara Bow’s personality-to-spare, Hula (1927) finds the iconic It Girl in Hawaii, as the daughter of a pineapple plantation owner, and the epitome of a flaming flapper. Clara is out to get handsome Englishman Clive Brook, never mind that he is trapped in an unhappy marriage.
Loaded with Pre-Code delights like Clara’s nude bath and scandalous grass-skirted hula dance, Hula features both Brook and Bow performing their own stunts. Another big hit for Clara, Hula was released just weeks after her most famous movie, William Wellman’s Oscar winning Wings (1927).
One of the finest and most charismatic actresses of the silent era, Clara Bow is in her element in Hula, her second film appearance directed by Victor Fleming (The Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind). They had previously worked together on the hit film Mantrap (1926) (when they began a torrid affair).
Projected from a gorgeous 16mm print provided by the USC HMH Foundation Moving Image Archive and accompanied live by the brilliant Cliff Retallick, don’t miss this rare chance to see Clara Bow in Victor Fleming’s Hula, on the big screen of the Lumiere Cinema at the Music Hall, 9036 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211.