Mary Pickford is more than just a star with her name above the title. When watching Sparrows, one is struck by how her presence is so much greater than the boundaries of her role, even greater than the sum of her collective parts in her career up to that point (some seventeen years, fifty-five features and nearly two-hundred short films). She’s like a spiritual icon: the collective goodwill of mankind. Leading a train of abused and exploited orphans through an alligator-infested swamp, she takes time to stop and pray, giving thanks for their safety and humbly asking for it to hold out. And yet it doesn’t seem cloying, or even didactic. There’s something absolutely sincere about her faith, not in a particular religion, but in humanity.
It would be impossible for Mary Pickford to exist today. Her purity is out of fashion. The original “happy go lucky,” it is too easy to write her off as a mere Pollyanna (particularly when that is the name of one of her movies). Instead, there is a determination and drive to her character. One never pities Pickford, not because she isn’t deserving of it, but because she won’t let you! Filled with pathos, not pretension, Pickford’s daily struggle is for survival, not critical acclaim. Her performance in Sparrows is so subtle that her skills as an actress are not immediately discernable, which is no easy feat considering she was thirty-four and playing a teenager (convincingly, at that). More than an actress, Pickford was an idol, and even today her warmth and charm continue to radiate.
by Cullen Gallagher | Source: Kino VHS
08 Oct 2008 11:41 AM | Submit Comment
