Mary Pickford made some amazingly good full-length silent films. Films such as "My Best Girl", "Daddy Longlegs", "Suds" and "Sparrows" were huge box office hits--and deservedly so. The films were cleverly written and acted and represent the epitome of American film making of the era. It's because I've seen and loved these films and so many more that I was eager to see "Stella Maris"--and why I also was rather disappointed even though it was a good film.
My biggest problem with the movie is that the plot is unnecessarily complex. It also features Pickford in dual roles when it also was not necessary--though she was able to carry this feat off much better in "Little Lord Fauntleroy". And, the plot just didn't always make a lot of sense--though in its defense, the film still packs a nice emotional punch towards the end.
The movie begins with Pickford playing the title character--a young lady who is unable to walk but maintains an amazingly spunky outlook on life. A family friend has fallen in love with her and would love to marry her but can't--he is already secretly married to a soul-less and rather evil drug addict. This addict lives in a secret bungalow so he can hide her from polite society. This 'lady' is an angry a vicious woman who delights in tormenting others. In particular, she savagely beats a simple orphan (also played by Pickford) for kicks (this was VERY vividly portrayed, by the way). However, the beating nearly kills the girl and results in the wife being sentenced to three years in prison. When the evil shrew gets out of prison, she is determined to make her husband miserable...but the orphan has other plans for her. There is more to the film than all this but ultimately it all rings a bit hollow because the plot seemed too difficult to believe and the characters behaved a bit too one-dimensional (with the man being nearly perfect, Stella being angelic, the orphan being all self-sacrificing and the wife being pure unadulterated evil).
The bottom line is that although most of the reviews are VERY positive, I just wasn't bowled over by this contrived and occasionally engaging film. And, I can see why it's not among Pickford's more famous outings. Worth seeing--just set your sights a bit lower than usual.
My biggest problem with the movie is that the plot is unnecessarily complex. It also features Pickford in dual roles when it also was not necessary--though she was able to carry this feat off much better in "Little Lord Fauntleroy". And, the plot just didn't always make a lot of sense--though in its defense, the film still packs a nice emotional punch towards the end.
The movie begins with Pickford playing the title character--a young lady who is unable to walk but maintains an amazingly spunky outlook on life. A family friend has fallen in love with her and would love to marry her but can't--he is already secretly married to a soul-less and rather evil drug addict. This addict lives in a secret bungalow so he can hide her from polite society. This 'lady' is an angry a vicious woman who delights in tormenting others. In particular, she savagely beats a simple orphan (also played by Pickford) for kicks (this was VERY vividly portrayed, by the way). However, the beating nearly kills the girl and results in the wife being sentenced to three years in prison. When the evil shrew gets out of prison, she is determined to make her husband miserable...but the orphan has other plans for her. There is more to the film than all this but ultimately it all rings a bit hollow because the plot seemed too difficult to believe and the characters behaved a bit too one-dimensional (with the man being nearly perfect, Stella being angelic, the orphan being all self-sacrificing and the wife being pure unadulterated evil).
The bottom line is that although most of the reviews are VERY positive, I just wasn't bowled over by this contrived and occasionally engaging film. And, I can see why it's not among Pickford's more famous outings. Worth seeing--just set your sights a bit lower than usual.