Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #24238 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-03-02
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, DVD, Full Screen, Silent, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 79 minutes

Amazon.com
It is famous for turning cutie-pie Clara Bow into, as critic David Thomson described her, "the first mass-market sex symbol." Somewhat overshadowed by this phenomenon is the fact that It is also a terrifically entertaining picture, an effortless cruise through the manners and morals of the flapper era. Bow plays a shopgirl who sets her saucer eyes on her boss (Antonio Moreno); it isn't terribly hard to land him, since she possesses dazzle, charm, spunk... in a word, "It." And if we're still not sure what "It" is, there's a moment of high camp hilarity when matronly author Elinor Glyn, who penned the original definition of "It," strides through the movie and delivers herself of its meaning. Actually, Bow's delightful performance does more to define "It" than anything else, and her unabashed sexiness (which didn't play well after sound came in) clearly sets the future course for Marilyn Monroe and Madonna. --Robert Horton

From the Back Cover
Clara Bow was the brightest star of the Jazz Age and its hottest sex symbol; after this movie, fans had a new name for her: the "It Girl." Bow portrays Betty Lou Spence, a beautiful, sassy, self-confident sales girl at the Waltham Department Store, where she eyes Cyrus, the handsome son of the store's owner. It's love at first sight and the chase is on in one of the greatest romantic comedies of the silent era! Misunderstandings, love, sex, and a ukelele all come together in the film's hilarious yacht-bound climax. Beautifully restored, this edition features a delightful orchestral score by acclaimed composer Carl Davis.

Customer Reviews

Two reasons why this great DVD could've been even better...
This is a review of the Kino DVD release of "It". Let's start by saying this is one of the most enjoyable silent films I've seen. This is entirely due to the presence of Clara Bow, whose dynamic performance never lets up for a second. This makes "It" one of the few silents that still works as entertainment rather than just an interesting slice of history. The reasons I think this DVD could have been even better lie with the fact that Kino has used the 1978 restoration version of this movie rather than the improved 1992 restoration. Whilst this 1978 restoration is still very good, the picture is slightly cropped. In other words, a small part of the picture at both the left & right and top & bottom of the screen is missing. This blemish is barely noticeable and does not really affect your viewing pleasure, especially as the picture quality itself is very impressive. Sure, there are marks and scratches here and there, but far less than you'd expect for a film well over 70 years old. The picture is generally quite sharp with decent contrast that only occasionally seems a little too harsh. I would rate the picture as being in the top 5% for movies of this age. The second reason this DVD could have been better is the music score. The 1992 restoration features a Carl Davis composition which is quite simply the best music score for a silent film you will ever hear...Unfortunately this DVD features a totally different score by William Perry. Whilst William Perry manages a perfectly adequate piano score that fits well with the movie it isn't a patch on Carl Davis' version. The "only" extra on this DVD is a documentary entitled "Discovering The It Girl". This only covers Clara Bow's life and career in a superficial way but we are treated to a wealth of movie clips. Contributions from people who knew Clara Bow also help make this a very enjoyable documentary. It's also worth noting that Kino previously released the movie and documentary on two separate VHS tapes. By buying them both on this one DVD instead of two videos you're actually saving yourself a few dollars! Notwithstanding the minor shortcomings, I definitely rate this DVD as a worthwhile purchase.

About the dvd
I think others have pointed out this but I'm gonna stress it.
There are 2 dvd editions of this movie.
The Kino one has great extras (a docu on Clara Bow's life) but a bad image transfer.
And the Image one has no extras but a much sharper and better looking image transfer.
So you choose.

A silent classic that defined sex appeal in the movies
Clara Bow stars in this wonderful silent film as Betty Lou Spence a shopgirl at Waltham's Department Store. When she first sees her boss, the handsome Cyrus Waltham, Jr. (played by Antonio Moreno), she falls for him and decides that he is to be her husband. But Waltham barely notices the shopgirl until his friend Monty Montgomery (comically played by William Austin) spies her at the counter and determines that she has "It," a certain type of sex appeal. With the help of Monty and her own "It" factor, Betty tries to win the man of her dreams.

This is a delightful romantic comedy, based upon the short story by Elinor Glyn -- who also makes a cameo appearance in the film. the acting is spot on, so much so that you don't even need the title cards. You can tell exactly what's going on. Clara Bow is amazing as Betty, with just the right charm and sex appeal. The great music accompaniment on this DVD was written by Carl Davis and matches the film perfectly.

A classic romantic comedy from the Silent Era.