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IMDbPro

A Romance of the Redwoods

  • 19171917
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 10m
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
824
YOUR RATING
Mary Pickford in A Romance of the Redwoods (1917)
  • Adventure
  • Comedy
  • Drama
A young girl travels west to live with her uncle during the California Gold Rush only to find that he has been killed by Indians and his identity assumed by an outlaw.A young girl travels west to live with her uncle during the California Gold Rush only to find that he has been killed by Indians and his identity assumed by an outlaw.A young girl travels west to live with her uncle during the California Gold Rush only to find that he has been killed by Indians and his identity assumed by an outlaw.
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
824
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Cecil B. DeMille
  • Writers
    • Cecil B. DeMille(play "Maedchen fuer alles")
    • Jeanie Macpherson(play "Maedchen fuer alles")
  • Stars
    • Mary Pickford
    • Elliott Dexter
    • Tully Marshall
Top credits
  • Director
    • Cecil B. DeMille
  • Writers
    • Cecil B. DeMille(play "Maedchen fuer alles")
    • Jeanie Macpherson(play "Maedchen fuer alles")
  • Stars
    • Mary Pickford
    • Elliott Dexter
    • Tully Marshall
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 13User reviews
    • 4Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos23

    Mary Pickford in A Romance of the Redwoods (1917)
    Elliott Dexter and Mary Pickford in A Romance of the Redwoods (1917)
    Mary Pickford in A Romance of the Redwoods (1917)
    Mary Pickford in A Romance of the Redwoods (1917)
    Mary Pickford in A Romance of the Redwoods (1917)
    Elliott Dexter in A Romance of the Redwoods (1917)
    Mary Pickford in A Romance of the Redwoods (1917)
    Elliott Dexter and Mary Pickford in A Romance of the Redwoods (1917)
    Elliott Dexter and Mary Pickford in A Romance of the Redwoods (1917)
    Mary Pickford in A Romance of the Redwoods (1917)
    Mary Pickford in A Romance of the Redwoods (1917)
    Mary Pickford in A Romance of the Redwoods (1917)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Mary Pickford
    Mary Pickford
    • Jenny Lawrence
    Elliott Dexter
    Elliott Dexter
    • 'Black' Brown - Road Agent
    Tully Marshall
    Tully Marshall
    • Sam Sparks
    Raymond Hatton
    Raymond Hatton
    • Dick Roland
    Charles Ogle
    Charles Ogle
    • Jim Lyn
    Walter Long
    Walter Long
    • Sheriff
    Winter Hall
    Winter Hall
    • John Lawrence - Uncle to Jenny
    • Director
      • Cecil B. DeMille
    • Writers
      • Cecil B. DeMille(play "Maedchen fuer alles")
      • Jeanie Macpherson(play "Maedchen fuer alles")
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Most of the $135,000 budget for the film went to pay Mary Pickford's salary -$96,666.67.
    • Quotes

      'Black' Brown, Road Agent: [to Jenny] Your uncle's dead! I'm John Lawrence in these doggings -- and I'm not going to let any fool kid spoil my game!

    User reviews13

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    "Try this one – it's loaded"
    The western picture is almost as old as the cinema itself, and the genre and the medium to some extent developed side by side. Here, in 1917, as the feature film was becoming more the norm than a novelty, we see the western becoming more than just a genre in itself and becoming the backdrop for a romance.

    Although parts of this story stretch credibility a little (this is DeMille, after all), the strength of the director and his long-time collaborator screenwriter Jeanie Macpherson in storytelling is evident. As was by now customary with his pictures, he economically introduces each character with a title giving their name followed by a brief shot which tells us everything we need to know. For DeMille this era was the peak of his visual storytelling abilities. One technique he uses is a quick shot of something happening out of a character's sight, yet which it is implied they can hear. For example, Elliot Dexter puts his ear to the ground, we cut to a close-up of horses' hooves, and we understand. It is not always so effective – for example the scene where Mary Pickford is startled by a wolf howling in the forest. From the way the sequence is edited it is not clear whether she is hearing the wolf or seeing it as well, even though we assume the former because it makes more sense.

    One thing that sets Romance of the Redwoods apart from DeMille's previous effort, the spectacular Joan the Woman, is the frequent use of close-ups and multiple angles. This reflects changes going on in the cinematic form around the time, as more freedom was given to camera placement, and the idea of placing the audience inside the action gained currency. In the case of this picture, it of course enhances the ability to tell stories with images, but it also adds emotional and psychological weight to the scenes that need it. DeMille uses the soon-to-be standard trick of keeping the camera back for the purely expository stuff, then moving in close when a dialogue between two characters enters a deeper, more emotional level. It says a lot for his cinematic method that he manages to sustain a western with very little action, mostly through an air of menace, which inevitably gives way to romance.

    This was Mary Pickford's first film with DeMille, and you can see she benefits from the time and space he allows his performers to act. Pickford was far more interesting before she began playing children, and here she is convincing as a youngster on the cusp of adulthood. Her most memorable moment in the film must surely be when she discovers Dexter's bandit mask. Horrified at first, she slowly lifts the rag to her own face – the scene is like a distant ancestor of Lorraine Bracco being given the gun to hide in Goodfellas. Elliot Dexter is adequate as the male lead, even if he does look more like a Dickensian villain than anything out of a western.

    For all its merits, Romance of the Redwoods is a worthy yet somewhat bland entry in the DeMille canon. It is full of nice touches but lacks a real punch. What's more, the premise of the innocent easterner heading west was growing a little tired. It would be a few years yet before pioneer westerns The Covered Wagon and The Iron Horse would arrive to revitalise the genre.
    helpful•7
    2
    • Steffi_P
    • Aug 31, 2008

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 14, 1917 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • None
    • Also known as
      • Un romance en los Redwoods
    • Filming locations
      • Boulder Creek, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Artcraft Pictures Corporation
      • Paramount Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $134,832 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 10 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Silent
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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