The Red Kimono

The Red Kimono (spelled as "The Red Kimona" in the opening credits) is a 1925 American silent drama film about prostitution produced by Dorothy Davenport (billed as Mrs. Wallace Reid) and starring Priscilla Bonner. This is the debut film of Director Walter Lang.

The title comes from a red-colored dress shown through the film, meant to symbolize the main character's occupation as a "scarlet woman" (a prostitute).

Producer Dorothy Davenport is seen consulting the files of a newspaper office. She wants to tell the audience a true story, that of Gabrielle Darley.

Gabrielle shoots Howard Blaine in the back as he is buying a wedding ring, then asks forgiveness and expresses her love to his corpse as she awaits arrest. At her trial she narrates her story. Blaine claimed he would marry her, and she went with him to New Orleans. He took her to a sleazy house. A mirror vision of herself in bridal attire gave way to a red dress, indicating she was entering prostitution. For love of Blaine, she spent several miserable years servicing men he sent.

The prosecutor suggests she shot Blaine in jealousy that he was going to marry another; she acknowledges this idea and says he was buying the ring with money she earned. Women in the courtroom cry. The all-male jury finds her not guilty.

Beverly Fontaine, a society matron who gets publicity by helping reformed criminals, invites her to live at her house. There, she is displayed at parties for Beverly's friends and tormented by questions about her prostitution. Chauffeur Terrance O'Day takes her on a date to an amusement park. She realizes that there is a good kind of man she never has encountered.

Beverly tires of her and goes on a trip with Terrance driving, leaving Gabrielle to train as a nurse. The superintendent recognizes her and throws her out. She loses her job as a maid when she gets upset at seeing her defense attorney's wife wearing the ring she had had to give him as her fee. Starving and desperate, she telegraphs her friend Clara in the brothel in New Orleans to send her the train fare to return.

The telegraph operator, a friend of Terrance, tells him of this plan. Terrance commandeers Beverly's car to drive to the train station to stop Gabrielle, but he is too late. He catches the next train. In New Orleans, he takes a taxi to the address on the telegram. Meanwhile, Gabrielle has been attacked by a brute and hit by a car as she runs from him. Terrance sees the accident without realizing it is Gabrielle. Hearing from Clara that she has not arrived yet, he hangs around the street looking for her for days.