Alla Nazimova produced this herself and, though her husband Charles Bryant received the director's credit, most who worked on it -- and most historians since -- consider Nazimova its real director. A persistent rumor holds she cast the entire production with gay and bisexual performers as a tribute to Oscar Wilde; one extra later said gay cast members were indeed present, just not an unusual number of them, let alone all. Costume and set designer Natacha Rambova built every frame directly from Aubrey Beardsley's scandalous 1890s illustrations for Wilde's play -- the film's own opening credits bill her work as "after Aubrey Beardsley." It flopped on release and effectively ended Nazimova's career as a major studio star; it's since been reclaimed as a cult classic.Alla Nazimova produced this herself and, though her husband Charles Bryant received the director's credit, most who worked on it -- and most historians since -- consider Nazimova its real director. A persistent rumor holds she cast the entire production with gay and bisexual performers as a tribute to Oscar Wilde; one extra later said gay cast members were indeed present, just not an unusual number of them, let alone all. Costume and set designer Natacha Rambova built every frame directly from Aubrey Beardsley's scandalous 1890s illustrations for Wilde's play -- the film's own opening credits bill her work as "after Aubrey Beardsley." It flopped on release and effectively ended Nazimova's career as a major studio star; it's since been reclaimed as a cult classic.
Alla Nazimova produced this herself and, though her husband Charles Bryant received the director's credit, most who worked on it -- and most historians since -- consider Nazimova its real director. A persistent rumor holds she cast the entire production with gay and bisexual performers as a tribute to Oscar Wilde; one extra later said gay cast members were indeed present, just not an unusual number of them, let alone all. Costume and set designer Natacha Rambova built every frame directly from Aubrey Beardsley's scandalous 1890s illustrations for Wilde's play -- the film's own opening credits bill her work as "after Aubrey Beardsley." It flopped on release and effectively ended Nazimova's career as a major studio star; it's since been reclaimed as a cult classic.