The Battle of the Sexes (1928 film)

The Battle of the Sexes
Lobby card
Directed byD. W. Griffith
Written byGerrit J. Lloyd
(adaptation & titles)
Based onThe Single Standard
by Daniel Carson Goodman
Produced byJoseph M. Schenck
Starring
Cinematography
Edited byJames Smith
Music by
Distributed byUnited Artists
Release date
  • October 12, 1928 (1928-10-12) (U.S.)
Running time
88 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguagesSound (Synchronized)
(English intertitles)
Budget$750,000

The Battle of the Sexes is a 1928 American synchronized sound comedy film directed by D. W. Griffith. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a synchronized musical score, singing and sound effects using both the sound-on-disc and sound-on-film process. The film starred Jean Hersholt, Phyllis Haver, Belle Bennett, Don Alvarado, and Sally O'Neil. It was released by United Artists. The film is a remake by Griffith of an earlier film he directed in 1914 which starred Lillian Gish. Both films are based on the novel The Single Standard by Daniel Carson Goodman; the story was adapted for this production by Gerrit J. Lloyd.

The film was recorded using the Movietone sound-on-film system but discs were made for those theatres that only had equipment to play sound-on-disc sound films. In 2004, the film was released on DVD by Image Entertainment without its original soundtrack. The theme song of the motion picture, "Just a Sweetheart", by Dave Dryer, Josef Pasternack, and Nathaniel Shilkret (recorded versions of which are available, for example, on a commercially issued Paul Whiteman CD) was omitted from the DVD. A completely modern score was substituted which bears no resemblance to the original score.