Woman with a Movie Camera

The Wild Party

Arzner invents the boom mic on the set of her first talkie.

  • Director

    Dorothy Arzner

  • With

    Clara Bow, Fredric March, Marceline Day, Jack Oakie

  • USA 1929. 72min

  • 35mm

The first talkie for both Arzner and Clara Bow, then Paramount’s biggest star, further cemented Arzner’s reputation for innovation after she fashioned the first boom microphone – using a fishing rod! Bow dazzles as college student Stella, a party girl who is as compassionate as she is passionate, as she navigates friendship and romance. The Wild Party proved Arzner could turn a conventional flapper story into a lively analysis of the trappings of traditional gender roles.

35mm preservation print courtesy of the UCLA Film & Television Archive.

Woman with a Movie Camera is generously supported by Jane Stanton.

See The Wild Party with intro by season curator Caroline Cassin followed by The Wild Party party on Tuesday 13 February.

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