The Cricket

Only 12 minutes of this originally feature-length Universal production, "The Cricket," directed by Elsie Jane Wilson and starring child actor Zoe Rae survive in the fragment presented on the Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers extended Blu-ray set. Those few minutes are enticing, though. The tinting and lighting demonstrate that Lois Weber wasn't the only woman director at the studio (which was remarkable for hiring several women directors) creating lovely compositions at the time. Nor was she the only filmmaker creating beautiful art about art. Here, we have one flat where three actors live together. In another, a mother who may be a piano teacher, or who at least is only seen sitting beside the musical instrument. And, her daughter becomes an actress in the play-within-the-play. The fragment ends there with a bit of the backstage dramatics of children.

Well, and one of the old actors--who along with the other two would go on in the scenario to adopt the newly-orphaned girl, reportedly--telling the new child star, "You're all eyes. Someday you'll be a great failure like me." Crikey, man, carry your own baggage. Talk about a frustrating place to pause a promising film, perhaps forever.