Love and the Varsity (1913), is a mildly subversive - for its time - social comedy, directed by Percy Stow, formerly a partner of Cecil Hepworth, for his own Clarendon Film Company.

The film derives its humour from the time-honoured device of men dressing up in women's clothing. The story concerns the attempt of two students to elope with two pupils from a neighbouring girls' school. Hitting on the ingenious idea of disguising themselves as new pupils, they present themselves to the prim headmistress, intent on spiriting their girlfriends away. The boys' awkward appearance somehow manages to fool not only the headmistress but their fellow pupils, until they reveal their identities once the head has gone. Later, however, the head spies them without their disguises and gives chase, but she is too late to beat the boys to the registry office, and arrives just after the marriages have been certified.

Mark Duguid

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