Stella Maris

Silent cinema had a lot of firsts…many of which we’ll never see since 75% of the productions are completely lost.  So even if 1918’s Stella Maris, starring Mary Pickford, isn’t the first example of an actor playing a dual role in a film, it’s certainly the most polished early example on record!  

Pickford first appears as the title character, a paralyzed young girl kept safe from the world’s problems by her wealthy relatives and wooed by a dashing suitor, John Risca.  Risca however is saddled with an alcoholic wife who makes his life miserable.  Not quite as miserable as their new adopted daughter, Unity (also played by Pickford), whom she beats senseless, winding up in prison for three years.  Risca’s life takes a turn for the better, taking Unity under his wing and strengthening his bond with Stella Maris, who is finally able to walk after a successful operation.  But after the three years are up, Risca’s wife returns and everyone’s happy ending is put on hold…indefinitely.

 

With all the social and romantic entanglements of a Downton Abbey episode, Stella Maris has a particularly modern appeal wallowing as it does in ugly marriages, drug addiction and the tragic consequences of unrequited love.  Based on a 1913 novel, it’s a compelling piece of work made all the more notable by Pickford’s performance as the disfigured orphan, Unity.  Allegedly when studio head Adolph Zukor saw her transformation before shooting began, he had to be pacified that the character would “die early” (she doesn’t) or risk sullying his star’s reputation.  It’s a truly Lon Chaney-esque combination of make-up and costuming that makes her completely unrecognizable.

 

But instead of ruining her career, Stella Maris proved that Pickford was much more than a pretty face.  Her performance as Unity rises above the usual silent movie stylings to communicate an unexpected depth of emotion.  Director Marshall Neilan matches her dramatic achievement with a technical one: seamless trick photography that places both characters in the same scene on two occasions.  Easy enough today, but in 1918 the process had to be invented while the film was in production, a risky move then and now.  

 

A group restoration effort between the Mary Pickford Company, UCLA and Paramount, Stella Maris now stands out as a triumph of the silent era and Pickford’s career in particular.  The Blu-ray / DVD combo incorporates two different prints – using a tinted color scheme for interiors and night scenes – that looks jaw-droppingly good.  The title cards have also been shortened and frame rate increased to allow for more natural looking movement onscreen.   Extras include a photo gallery and the short film, The Mountaineer’s Honor.

 

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