Mantrap

What a delightful film - at its best when its comedy, a little weaker in the dramatic bits. Clara Bow is amazing - funny, sexy, completely liberated - she is a free spirit, having sex with whoever she wants to. Her two choices are a little dull though - country bumpkin Ernst Torrence or city lawyer Percy Marmont - both a little old for her, but hell, Hollywood has always put beautiful young women with stodgy older men (studio executive fantasy perhaps?).

It's a well directed film - Victor Fleming went on to direct "Gone with the Wind" and "The Wizard of Oz", and photographed mostly on location by James Wong Howe - so it looks great. But it's Clara that holds it all together - and what an ending! Incidentally she isn't the mantrap - it's the name of the town in Canada where most of the action takes place.

Mantrap (1926)

*** (out of 4)

Romantic comedy about city girl Alverna (Clara Bow) who agrees to marry the woodsman Joe Easter (Ernest Torrence) just because he's different. She moves with him to the small town of Mantrap where she eventually meets a lawyer (Percy Marmont) on vacation and soon the two decide to run off. MANTRAP isn't a masterpiece in regards to its storytelling but there's no question that the entire cast is extremely good and help keep this thing entertaining. I think the weakest part of the story is the actual screenplay, which just isn't all that believable and especially the stuff dealing with the beautiful Alverna falling for someone like Joe. It's made quite clear throughout the picture that she's a major flirt so you really do have to wonder why she would settle on Joe. Still, this here really doesn't kill the film as the three leads are simply so good that you can overlook this flaw. Director Victor Fleming does an extremely good job with the lighter touches of humor and especially an entire sequence in the woods when the three characters come together again. This here happens towards the end of the picture but it's one of the best moments in the film. Torrence is extremely likable in his part of the rough looking man who lives in the woods. I thought he really brought a lot of joy to the character and you couldn't help but love him. Marmont is a bit stiff but this is a good way to play the character since he's the complete opposite of Joe. Eugene Palette is also extremely good in his few scenes. There's no question that the real star is Bow. She's so bubbly and energetic that she pops right off the screen and you can't help but find joy in her. There's also no question that she brings that sexy nature to the role and she also shows some pretty good comic timing and especially when she's constantly fixing herself up to try and get something off of whatever man is around here. MANTRAP isn't a complete success but fans of Bow or those just wanting to see what her sex appeal was all about will get plenty of it here.

I'd been wanting to see Mantrap for years and finally got the chance to see it recently. What a rare treat -- being able to see Clara Bow in one of her early hits, aided by A-list talent such as director Victor Fleming and cinematographer James Wong Howe, with a snappy script based on original material by Sinclair Lewis. If you're a fan of Miss Bow, it's worth it to seek out this title -- she really shines here! You will not be disappointed.

From the moment she enters the scene as Alverna, a bubbly doll of a manicurist with a severe flirting problem, she steals every scene she's in. Alverna falls for Joe, a simple backwoods "he-man" who quickly makes her his bride and snatches her away to his rustic cabin up north. Take Alverna's boredom and flirting addiction, add in Ralph, a New York divorce lawyer running away from city women ... and you can see where the story is headed. But it's oh so much fun to watch it unfold.

Clara's manic energy makes the movie (watch the scene in which she feeds Joe and Ralph chocolates and bops around the room like a sexy little Muppet), but the dialogue on the title cards keep the comedic energy up as well with clever quips. When Joe threatens to send Alvy away to his aunt in Minneapolis, she retorts: "Minneapple - sauce!" A great slice of mid-1920s vernacular, and this movie's full of them.

Unfortunately, B.P. Schulberg at Paramount threw Clara into practically any picture that came along, which means she racked up dozens of roles in mediocre, forgettable titles in her day. (The reason is clear: Clara had such -- well, "it" -- that she would have been watchable in a film about drying paint. So why seek out top material when your star makes you money even when the material is crap?) Mantrap is the kind of vehicle Clara should have always been given. An adorable little film, a wonderful showcase for Clara, and a silent I highly recommend.

I've had the privilege of seeing a dozen or so of Miss Bow's movies and I would rate this one among the best, after IT. I'm surprised that the current rating is only a 6.6. Clara never looked better than in MANTRAP and was approaching the peak in her career. The soon to be "It" girl, is so vibrant, uninhibited, and full of life as Alverna, the young manicurist from Minneapolis who impulsively marries an older he-man, Joe Easter, from the back country and becomes restless once they return to Mantrap. Poor Ralph Prescott, a divorce lawyer from New York who is at his breaking point from all his flirtatious female clients, decides to take a vacation to get away from everything at the insistence of his friend. Not only does he get wrestled to the ground by his heavy-set friend, played by Eugene Pallate, once they get on each other's nerves, but he gets accepts an invitation to stay at Joe's cabin to get away from living in a tent. Little does he know, that the seductive Alverna awaits him ready to flirt with him every time Joe's back is turned. I think this is a very entertaining romantic comedy from the mid 1920s. Both Ernest Torrence and Percy Marmont, as well as any red-blooded male watching the movie, fall prey to Clara's mischievous grin and beautiful, expressive eyes. I'm so glad that Paramount didn't let this one deteriorate in its vaults. 8/10

I noticed that some folks (as well as the accompanying DVD notes) describe this as Clara Bow's best film. Well, it was cute and worth seeing but I still don't think it comes close to the quality and entertainment value of "Wings"--a film she made the following year.

The title clearly has a double meaning. First, it's set in the town of Mantrap in rural Canada. Second, Clara is clearly a mantrap--a woman who is so flirtatious that she can't seem to help attracting men.

The film begins with a man leaving Mantrap--he wants to visit the big city and perhaps meet a woman. He meets one--Clara--and soon they get married and move back to his tiny village. At the same time, a burnt out divorce lawyer leaves the big city to get away from it all. When he meets up with Clara's husband, they soon become friends. Unfortunately, Clara just can't help herself and she soon starts in on him--and it's obvious she wants him. What's to happen next? See this cute little film to see for yourself.

I noticed that another reviewer felt that the plot was decent but the film really was improved by Bow's performance as a lovable flirt. I would agree--it did make the film more entertaining. But, at its heart, it's still just a slightly above average film but a good feature role by this lovely actress.