Le Petit Lord Fauntleroy

As a producer for her own movies, actress Mary Pickford always strove to include the latest marvels in cinematic technology into her films to set her pictures apart from others. To one-up her dual role performance in her 1918 'Stella Maris,' Pickford tackled the acting assignments as both a mother and her son in September 1921's "Little Lord Fauntleroy." The two characters played by the same person was the first time in film an actress (or actor) ever played a mother and a son in one movie. And to top it off, Pickford became the first actress to have the two characters touch one another in the same scene.

The historic sequence appears when Cedrick Errol, the son of Mrs. Errol, kisses his mother on the cheek. The complex three-second shot involving multiple double exposures required a laborious 15-hours of preparations and filming. The camera had to be completely stable during that entire ordeal. Weights nearly a ton in total tied down the camera and its tripod to insure each filmed exposure was exactly matched to the previous ones.

The movie "Little Lord Fauntleroy" was based on a 1886 novel of the same name by Frances Burnett concerning a poor one-parent boy who finds out he stands to inherit a fortune--and a title--from the English lineage of his late father. Trouble is the lawyer handling the inheritance hates Fauntleroy's mother, but eventually is won over by the boy's personality, until a pretender to the title appears. An inside joke on Pickford's trademark curls she wears in her juvenile movies is presented when early on the neighborhood boys pick on his (her) long hair. A fight breaks out with Pickford besting the biggest bully of the hair battle.

Just in itself, this is an entertaining version of the old-fashioned story of "Little Lord Fauntleroy", with good characterizations, settings, and story-telling. But what makes it particularly enjoyable is Mary Pickford's irresistible charm in a double role as young Cedric and as his mother.

Pickford's performance as the mother 'Dearest' is flawless, as she portrays her with elegance and grace, practically the image of the character that you get from the story. As Cedric, Pickford certainly gives the character a new look. There's nothing in the least to criticize about her performance, yet it's impossible not to be reminded of Pollyanna, Rebecca, or Pickford's other young girl roles. Even when she gives her character a rough-and-tumble look (at which she is very good), she is just too feminine and too attractive for it not to be noticeable. Yet her charm and buoyant energy make Cedric a thoroughly engaging character, if somewhat different from his literary image.

The rest of the production deserves plenty of credit as well. Several of the supporting characters are especially good. Claude Gillingwater strikes just the right note as the old Earl, and there is a trio of pleasant characters from Cedric's old neighborhood, who just have to come on screen to be good for a smile. The settings and photography are nicely done, never ostentatious but always providing an effective backdrop for the characters and story. Perhaps most impressive of all is the special effects wizardry that makes Pickford's dual performance work so well, frequently putting her two characters together without the slightest snag.

This is the kind of old-fashioned story that Pickford makes almost effortless, yet it's not hard to see a good number of strengths, both in her own performance and in the rest of the movie.

I doubt if the costuming involved in this movie fooled anyone for an instant. Mary Pickford is clearly Mary Pickford. But she was playing a role and the audience of the time -- and I -- have no problem accepting her in the part of a boy, any more than I have a problem with the fact that Peter Pan is invariably played by a woman. I think she is perfect in the role.

This is a warm and funny version of the story, enlivened by Miss Pickford and a wonderful supporting cast, including Claude Gillingwater as the grouchy earl, D.W. Griffith regular Kate Bruce as an old apple seller and Mary Pickford as Fauntleroy's mother. People may have trouble with the sentimental story and tone, but if you accept the tale then you should have no complaints as to its manner of telling. Again, I have no problem with the story and think it compares favorably with the sound version produced by Selznick fifteen years later. True, no one can top C. Aubrey Smith as a grouchy English aristocrat, but Freddy Bartholomew was always annoying as Fauntleroy -- or, indeed, as anything.

No discussion of this movie would be complete without mentioning cameraman Charles Rosher's wizardry. There is a wonderful shot as Pickford as Fauntleroy kisses Dearest on the cheek, done so casually and effortlessly as to make it easy to miss; but it took 18 hours to film correctly. We are also confronted with the fact that Pickford as Fauntleroy seems to be about four and a half feet tall. Miss Pickford was a short woman, but she was a lot taller than that. Fans of the LORD OF THE RING trilogy are doubtless now familiar with the idea of forced perspective and doubled sets; but to watch the results done in 1921 without computer aids, optical printing or computer effects to aid the process and you will begin to get an idea of what a genius Rosher was.

My warmest thanks to the fine people at Milestone for producing this DVD release. The story is that Miss Pickford was going to have her pictures destroyed at her death because she felt that time had passed them by. She was talked out of this fancy. We can only be glad.

Mary Pickford, perhaps the biggest star of all time, stars in two roles in this funny and charming version of the classic novel about a New York City boy who becomes an English earl.

Although the 1936 talkie version is better remembered, Pickford is just wonderful as 12-year-old Cedric Errol and little boy in curls (get it?) who is transported to a world of huge castles and a grumpy old grandfather. Pickford also plays Cedric's mother (on 6-inch stilts) and is charming as the adult.

The trick photography (this is 1921, remember) is flawless and allows Pickford to play both parts in several scenes without even a hint of how they did it. Just amazing. Pickford often played dual roles in her films (Stella Maris, 1918) and it seems she could play just about any part.

The most beloved star of her era (or any era for that matter)--bigger than Fairbanks, Chaplin, or Swanson--Mary Pickford charmed audiences for more than 25 years in well over 250 films as the essence of joy, humor, and high spirits. and Little Lord Fauntleroy is one of her best! Claude Gillingwater is the old earl, Kate Bruce in the apple vendor, Rose Dione is the fake wife, and Joseph Dowling as Havisham.

The film was co-directed by Mary's brother, Jack Pickford.

The 1921 version of LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY was one of Mary Pickford's biggest hits and it's easy to see why. It features her in a dual role as the little lord and his mother giving her the opportunity to showcase her acting talent in two very different roles as well as letting us see the two types of parts she would play for the rest of her career. While split-screen roles had been done many times before (Pickford even did it in 1918's STELLA MARIS) seldom has it been done as well as it is here. Not only are the double exposures perfect but the perspectives used really highlight the difference between child and adult.

Mary was one of the most powerful people in Hollywood at that time and she always worked with the best technicians available. The sets are stunning, the lighting equally memorable and Charles Rosher's cinematography is in a class by itself. The direction is credited to Alfred E. Green and Mary's brother Jack (according to Mary he was the inspiration for her portrayal of Fauntleroy) but you can be sure that she did a lot of it herself without credit. Claude Gillingswater as the old Earl of Dorincourt gives a marvelous performance every bit the equal of C. Aubrey Smith and Alec Guiness in later versions. As wonderful as Mary's child performance is, I never once thought of her as a boy (I'm sure audiences in 1921 didn't either) but she definitely was the character of Fauntleroy so it really doesn't matter. Her work as the mother is just as good showing that she could play adult roles when she gave herself the opportunity.

Sadly, it is that aspect of her acting which has been forgotten over the years. Milestone Film's release of several Pickford films in restored editions to go along with those already available should help to rectify this oversight and return Pickford to her rightful place as one of the silent screen's top performers and not just "Little Mary", the good little girl caricature that most people think of her as today.

The film isn't perfect as some of Mary's concessions to her 1920's audience like the fight at the end seem out of place with the rest of the picture. Nevertheless LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY is the ideal introduction to Mary Pickford for those of you not familiar with her work while it gives those of us who are one of her best vehicles in beautiful condition. Special mention should be made of the fine orchestral score that Nigel Holton has provided for the film. Thanks again to Milestone Films and The Mary Pickford Foundation for making this and other Pickford releases available on home video...For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.