V IS FOR VICTORINE

The sidekick in Daring Darleen, Queen of the Screen (2020) takes center stage in this silent film–era sequel.

It’s 1915, and about a year has passed since 13-year-old white heiress Victorine Berryman vanished, assumed a new identity, and became a member of Darleen Darling’s family and their New Jersey photoplay production company. After watching an adventure loosely based on her own life, Vee dreams of becoming a photoplaywright. A family trip to Hollywood helps Vee realize her dream and brings the struggling Darling business a chance to showcase new technology. The shenanigans, which include stolen treasures and switched satchels, continue in the spirit of the first book and reflect serial adventures of the time. The girls head to California alone, where they stay with Hollywood royalty Lillian and Dorothy Gish, meet influential director Lois Weber, and become embroiled with a villainous artifact collector. This time, however, the over-the-top antics occasionally clash with more serious topics rather than being seamlessly integrated. Nesbet once again introduces an abundance of early film history, including D.W. Griffith’s controversial The Birth of a Nation. African American actors (both real and fictional) underscore the lack of opportunities for actors of color and offer a tarnished look at the silver screen. Vee comes to see the need for representation of more different voices and responsible approaches to making art. Ultimately, as she’s discovering her imagination as a playwright, Vee also claims her true self.

A clever peek at early Hollywood exploring themes that still resonate today.