Figure 1.--Here we see Leo and Marcus. Marcus wears a brown knixkers suit while Leo wears a green kneepants suit for their summer vacation.

While the plot may drag a bit, the film does offer some interesting insights on both public schools and social class and for HBC period dress. Several scenes in the film touch upon clothing. Leo is teased because he comes with only his heavy winter Norfolk suit. (He doeesn't have a lot of different suits like his wealthy friend's family.) He is taken to buy a new summer knee pants suit which he wears with a boyish wide white collar and little bow, so he will not feel out of place. The shopping scene skips over the choice of the suit, but when he returns he has to stand on a stool while everyone admires his new suit. The pants aren't knickers and his knees shows as he runs about. Interesting that his friend who invited him to stay is a little older and wears a less childish suit--but still knickers. The guest serves as the go between for a young woman in the family and her lover that the family does not approve of. Marcus wears a brown knicker suit with fawn-colored long stockings and a wide soft collar. Leo wears a Lincoln green knee pants suit with dark brown knee socks so that his knees are frequently exposed. This last detail seems historically false for the Edwardian period. Almost all boys who wore knee pants suits, especially at the age of 13, wore them with long over-the-knee stockings. But Leo's knee pants are cut so long that his knees don't show when he is standing still so that he appears to be wearing long stockings. This is a curious costuming anomaly in the film.

Created: 12:41 PM 12/23/2004
Last updated: 12:41 PM 12/23/2004