Stella Maris

Lovely, crippled STELLA MARIS lives like a princess, sheltered from all of the world's unpleasantness. Orphan Unity Blake, on the other hand, suffers under life's harsh hand. These two young women are fated to be brought together with tragic, unforeseen consequences...

America's Sweetheart, Mary Pickford, even though a tremendous movie star, had always been bothered by the fact that show business had kept her from acquiring a normal education. She asked her dear friend, screenwriter Frances Marion, to tutor her. One of the books they read together was "Stella Maris" by William J. Locke. Mary quickly saw the novel's cinematic possibilities.

What startled the studio bosses was Mary's determination to play the parts of both Stella and Unity. She was sure this could be achieved convincingly. For the role of Unity, Pickford wore makeup that negated her pretty features, learned to stand & walk awkwardly & even insisted that she be photographed mostly using her right, less photogenic, profile. The effect was most believable.

The result was a triumph, professionally, artistically & at the box office. Mary tugged at the viewer's heartstrings, but never crossed the line into cheap mugging or maudlin histrionics. She earned her accolades with genuine, sincere emotion & pathos.

Frances Marion's screenplay allowed both of Mary's characters to share some screen time. Double exposure would produce a special effect that puzzled & delighted contemporary audiences.

Although Mary dominates the film, mention should be made of Conway Tearle who ably plays the strong, sensitive man who loves Stella; Marcia Manon is very effective as his brutal, alcoholic wife; and Josephine Crowell scores in another of her matronly roles.

After years of neglect, STELLA MARIS is available on video to enchant whole new generations of Pickford fans.

Mary Pickford, that gamine of silent movie cinema is showcased in what might have been her best performance. Being nary a fan of her performance, I think this high praise indeed. I believe if there were the Academy Awards in those early days of cinema, she clearly would have worn it. She did win one in 1929 for Coquette which is just terrible, at least from a modern perspective- static camera movements and broadway like staging undermine any goodwill. Like much of today's actresses who win Oscars eg Charlize Theron and Nicole Kidman, the make up artist deserves high praise. The dsiparity between Unity and Stella is so convincing that when using technology of the time, they are placed in the same shot together, it is startling to wonder how it was acheived. The story is a classic melodrama about a man with a slightly crazy,evil and alcoholic wife who is bewedded to. There is Stella, a cripple whom the horrors of the world is shielded from and there is Unity, an orphan who has experienced the worst of the world and is almost bitten to death by the crazy wife, sending her to jail and making her husband in a case of pity and symphathy, Unity's guardian. Stella learns to walk after an operation and lives her sheltered enclosure to experience the hubris of life, learning about poverty, murders and other human evils. This shatters her. She and Unity are both in love with the kindly and gentle man. Lest to say for love to survive and conquer all, certain sacrifices are made. This is obviously a first rate production with grand art direction and gorgeous cinematography setting the mood but there are aspects that derail the movie including the inefficient rationalization of Stella's awakening. It is handled rather patly and not psycologically probing. I also found the the man character rather bland and boring as effused. The director's symbolism is rather thick especially the use of the cat and a dog to express the disharmony in the world. All in all, a dynamic performance by Pickford as Unity and a fairly rousing Victorian denouemwnt and resolution make it a see. It might help if you knew it was a huge box office smash surprising studio bosses.

This is a fine old silent melodrama with an outstanding dual performance by Mary Pickford, certainly one of her greatest accomplishments. The story itself is quite good, and the rest of the cast is solid as well, but it is Pickford who holds your attention from start to finish with a wonderful portrayal of two very different characters.

Both of her characters are wonderful creations, and Pickford's portrayals bring both of them to life convincingly and memorably. Stella and Unity have vastly different appearances, life experiences, and personalities, and Pickford even gives them distinctive mannerisms and expressions. This allows the story to bring them together seamlessly in a plot that itself offers good, thoughtful drama and some good comic moments as well. You quickly come to care for both Stella and Unity in different ways, and feel for them as they learn some often difficult lessons about life.

While probably little-known today, "Stella Maris" is a terrific movie, one of the best of its era. If you enjoy silent films, you'll probably find it well worth the trouble to track down.

If you have never seen a Pickford film, this Artcraft Production is a perfect introduction to the star's versatile talents. In her dual roles as Stella and Unity she displays a range and depth of emotions hardly seen in films of this era.

Pickford was drawn to this story immediately after screenwriter Frances Marion suggested she read the novel. Pickford's labor of love in getting this book to the screen is evident in every scene. Art Direction and sets are superb--subtle yet surprising and stylish, even smartly humorous at times. It's a fine production throughout and, astonishingly, even the special effects hold up well today.

If you are not familiar with silent films, and not likely to see many of them, see this. It is one of the best.

I have the following reasons for putting this film on my top ten silent films: 1. Mary Pickford plays two completely different characters, both excellent performances. 2. Coming out in 1918, at the time of WWI, this film has the poignant subject matter of a girl sheltered from awareness of the cruelty of the world, who later discovers the truth about war and poverty and violence.

In less than an hour and a half, we see the joy of love and the pain of human existence. An existential nutshell... Enjoy....