Stella Maris (1918)

Why it's included:
We've been heavy into the comedy lately. Of course it makes sense to do short comedy when introducing kids to silent pictures, as it tends to be far more palatable, but it was time for drama and Stella Maris is here to give us a taste of the dramatic (melodramatic?). It features a powerful performance in a dual role from Mary Pickford.

Specs:
About an hour and a half long, black and white, silent. We were lucky that our local library had a copy on dvd, but it seems to be available on youtube as well. (By the way, when you have a choice, it makes all the difference in the world to view these old movies on dvd rather than a crummy low-def youtube video).

Our family's average rating (on a scale of 1-10):
6.75

More about the film and our reaction to it:
Mary Pickford plays Stella Maris, a beautiful young invalid being raised in luxury by overprotective guardians. Pickford also plays Unity Blake, also an orphan, but plain, plucky and worldly. This is the story of their challenges in life, including how their paths eventually cross and they fall in love with the same man. The story is riveting, sad, powerful and ultimately reaffirming.

I was surprised by how well my kids took to this movie considering the serious material and heavy dark tone, but they loved it. Mary Pickford is compelling in both roles. You can really appreciate that actual talent must have played a huge role in her stardom. She is so good at  inhabiting each character completely, that you can hardly tell it is the same actress playing the parts. Had there been Academy Awards back then, she would have been a shoo-in. The film is also blessed with excellent direction and artistic filming, including the well-done shots where the two Pickford characters appear together! We love thinking about what special effects were possible back then and how they were done.

Beware of a large amount of shocking material here - including murder, a brutal beating (just off-camera) but still intense, cruelty toward Unity by the person who adopts her, substance abuse and jailing. This movie would not have been made 15 years later once the production Code set in. (I think, maybe, the fact that the movie was so shocking is part of what made my kids love it). Although the film was intense, it was not gratuitous; it was a tight meaningful story.

Iconic shot: