A shoe-shining servant girl vs. Russian revolutionaries? 1919 cinema was unhinged.
Boots is a young servant girl who polishes shoes in an English inn. She is an incurable romantic, addicted to melodramatic stories of love and adventure. When she discovers a Bolshevik plot to blow up a government official, she takes it on herself to foil the plot.
Acting
Dorothy Gish's expressive face carries entire emotional arcs.
Direction
Elmer Clifton keeps 50 minutes surprisingly propulsive.
Director
Elmer Clifton
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Released during the Red Scare, yet plays Bolshevik threats for slapstick comedy—audiences apparently needed the laugh.
D.W. Griffith protégé Dorothy Gish was deliberately cast against her sister Lillian's more tragic image; this was her 'fun one.'
US
