Suds (1920)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

John Francis Dillon

Writers:

Waldemar Young (scenario) and
Richard Bryce (play)

Release Date:

27 January 1920 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

A London laundry woman tries to rise above her station in order to capture the love of a wealthy young man and thus misses out on the truer love of one of her own class.

Plot Keywords:

Laundry | Laundry Woman | Flashback | Soapsuds | Female Protagonist

Cast

Mary Pickford	...	Amanda Afflick
Albert Austin	...	Horace Greensmith
Harold Goodwin	...	Benjamin Pillsbury Jones
Rose Dione	...	Madame Jeanne Gallifilet Didier
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lavendor the Horse

Also Known As:

Op O' Me Thumb (USA) (working title)
The Duchess of Suds (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

75 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Company:

Mary Pickford Company

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Hollywood" (1980)

marvelous film that doesn't seem terribly dated

I love silent films, but I have to admit some of the old films don't translate well to the 21st century. Some of the older "classics" now seem antiquated and dull. However, I am happy to report that this is not the case with SUDS. Despite being an 86 year-old film, it still is good fun and is one of the most watchable Mary Pickford films because it doesn't take itself very seriously.

Mary plays a rather homely laundress and there is absolutely no hint of her beauty in this film. This laundress is pretty clumsy but nice. However, because her life is so drab, she dreams of a better life--even going so far as making up a fictitious boyfriend out of a guy who forgot his shirt there over 8 months ago. She described him as being a duke and talks of how he will whisk her away.

At the same time, there's a parallel plot of the horse cart that delivers the laundry from this business. The driver seems to like Mary but his feelings are not professed. Also, Mary adores the old broken-down horse and laments that it's about to be sent to the glue factory by the nasty owner of the business. She runs to its rescue and buys the horse--keeping it in her apartment! Then, the film offers two different endings on the DVD from Image Entertainment--one the American ending and the other the European ending. Both are different--one is a little sweeter, the other funnier. I recommend if you have a chance, view both endings--they are both worth seeing. There apparently was a third melancholy ending that was suggested by Chaplin that was also used, but apparently it is no longer in existence. I actually am glad, as I liked the more up-beat endings.

The bottom line is that the film is amusing and touching and well worth your time. Though a "slight film" with modest pretenses, I actually preferred it to many of the big reputation silent films.