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Feet of Clay

Name: Feet of Clay
Director: Cecil B. DeMille
Released: 1924
Duration: 100 min

Representation Score

1.8/10

Minimal

1924

Passed

Director

Cecil B. DeMille

Runtime

100 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Feet of Clay is a traditional melodrama that upholds classical moral values and straight-centered family structures. The narrative reinforces established social hierarchies and the sanctity of marriage through a lens of spiritual consequence. While there is a shift in economic roles due to the protagonist's injury, the film remains tied to early 20th-century social norms, lacking any effort to challenge conventional clichés or provide diverse representation.

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Category Breakdown

Does Feet of Clay have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film focuses solely on heterosexual relationships and traditional marriages, with no representation of non-straight or non-cisgender identities.

How does Feet of Clay portray gender?

Limited

Amy's role as a fashion model is secondary to her position as a devoted wife. The power dynamics reflect early 20th-century views on feminine loyalty and social standing.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Feet of Clay?

Minimal

The cast is predominantly white, with no indication of color-blind casting or non-white majority representation.

How does Feet of Clay represent religion and culture?

Limited

The story emphasizes the sanctity of marriage and traditional morality, without exploring secular or diverse cultural perspectives.

Does Feet of Clay include disability representation?

Limited

Kerry Harlan’s injury from a shark attack serves primarily as a plot device to create melodrama, rather than a nuanced exploration of her experiences.

Present on Screen

The narrative examines the changing economic dynamics within the family when the female protagonist becomes the primary provider.

Limited or Absent

The film uses disability primarily as a plot device to generate melodrama, rather than exploring the character's ability to drive the story.
The cast and setting lack racial and ethnic diversity, adhering to a homogeneous Anglo-centric framework.
The story lacks LGBTQ+ representation, focusing exclusively on traditional heterosexual relationships.

Official Synopsis

Kerry Harlan (La Rocque) is unable to work because he was injured in a battle with a shark, so his youthful wife Amy (Reynolds) becomes a fashion model. While she is away from home, Bertha, the wife of his surgeon, is trying to force her attentions on Kerry and is accidentally killed in an attempt to evade her husband. After the scandal Amy is courted by Tony Channing, but she returns to her husband and finds him near death from gas fumes. Because they both attempted to make suicide, their spirits are rejected by "the other side," and learning the truth from Bertha's spirit they fight their way back to life. This film is presumed lost.

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