Manslaughter

In the silent era, Cecil B. DeMille stood at the forefront of Hollywood directors, a visual stylist who created fashionable fables of women caught in tempests of temptation.

Accompanied by a lively score by the Alloy Orchestra, Manslaughter stars Leatrice Joy as a pampered debutante who is forced to confront her irresponsible lifestyle when she causes the death of a traffic cop. The prosecutor who sends her to jail (Thomas Meighan) is also in love with the reckless woman, and is tormented with guilt for having betrayed her.

To emphasize the debauchery of the Jazz Age elite, DeMille interwove scenes of champagne-soaked parties and Roman orgies, a device that served as a stern warning to the wayward youth of America, even as it provided a titillating spectacle to the sensation-hungry masses.