Stella Maris (1918)

Stella Maris is a beautiful, crippled girl, who is cared for by a rich family. They shield her from the harsh realities of the world, so that she has no idea of the cruel things that some ... See full summary »

Director:

Marshall Neilan

Writers:

William J. Locke (from the novel by), Frances Marion (photoplay)

Stars:

Mary Pickford, Ida Waterman, Herbert Standing

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Mary Pickford	...	Miss Stella Maris / Unity Blake
Ida Waterman	...	Lady Eleanor Blount - aka Aunt Julia
Herbert Standing	...	Sir Oliver Blount
Conway Tearle	...	John Risca - also Spelled Riska
Marcia Manon	...	Louisa Risca - also Spelled Louise Riska
Josephine Crowell	...	Aunt Gladys Linden

Storyline

Stella Maris is a beautiful, crippled girl, who is cared for by a rich family. They shield her from the harsh realities of the world, so that she has no idea of the cruel things that some people do. Unity Blake is a poor orphan all too familiar with the harsh realities of the real world. These two young women both fall in love with John, love which is complicated by the fact that he is still married to (though separated from) a bad wife.

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Plot Keywords:

orphan | paralysis | starvation | adoption | invalid | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Release Date:

21 January 1918 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Busch Gardens - S. Grove Avenue, Pasadena, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pickford Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min 84 min (alternate)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When John Riska returns to his house one night, Unity offers him a 'Sally Lun' (sic). A 'Sally Lunn' is a type of bread, from Bath in the English West Country. The recipe is said to have come to the area courtesy of a French immigrant in the 17th century. It can be served sliced horizontally and toasted, with sweet or savoury toppings such as plain or flavoured butters, jam and clotted cream.

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Quotes

John Risca, also spelled Riska: We were happy until she could no longer control this habit. Then the woman in her died and she became a Thing - a beastly - cruel - Thing!

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Connections

Featured in Mary Pickford: A Life on Film (1997)

User Reviews

A great Pickford film

To bad silent films are not appreciated in our modern world (except by a few fans of silent films). This film could stand up well to many romance dramas made today. Mary Pickford does a wonderful job of playing 2 very different roles in this film, and to her credit does a fine job of both.

The story is about a crippled girl, Stella Maris who is completely sheltered from all things bad and ugly about life. Also played by Pickford is Unity who is a poor orphaned girl. Unity is adopted by John Riskas wife to basically be her housekeeper. Well Johns wife beats Unity severely and is sent to prison for almost killing her. In the meantime John adopts Unity out of pity and shows her the only kindness she has ever known. Meanwhile doctors perform a procedure on Stella and she is able to walk and learns that the world is not as nice as people told her it was. John really falls in love with Stella but is married and does not tell Stella about his wife. Stella finds out one day when she pays a visit to his house and her view of John is shattered and she does not wish to see him anymore.

The movie has high production values and has some nice tricks for its time like showing Mary Pickford playing 2 roles at the same time in the same frame. The film has a few minor flaws such as the heavy handed symbolism of the dogs drama.

overall a very good film I give it a B+