By the time that she starred as two teenage girls in Stella Maris in 1918 – yes, this occurred before either Haley Mills or Lindsay Lohan entered the picture – she was considered Hollywood royalty, and properly so.
VCI is releasing yet another Pickford silent with the cooperation of Paramount Pictures, The Mary Pickford Company, The Mary Pickford Foundation, the UCLA Film Archive and The Library of Congress.
Based upon a 35mm duplicate negative and a partial original tined nitrate print, the final results are never less than beautiful, and the synchronized score works beautifully with the film.
Grain structure is retained and beautifully rendered. Tints appear accurate to the era. The image is clean and stable, especially for a 105 year old motion picture.
Stella Maris catches Miss Pickford during the early prime period of her career, just after The Poor Little Rich Girl (1917), directed by Maurice Touneur, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1917), directed by Marshall Neilan, as well as another Neilan film, Daddy-Long-Legs from 1919, and Pollyanna from 1920.
For those just getting acquainted with the wonders of the silent cinema, VCI has already release Sparrows, Little Annie Rooney, Joanna Enlists and Fanchon the Cricket.
Your purchase of these discs supports films restoration and at the same time, creates a wonderful viewing experience. For those who may be less experience in the era, silent films are not contrasty, jerky, scratched, splicy films. Presented correctly, they can radiate a beauty unseen in decades.
The film was remade in 1925 by Universal, starring Mary Philbin (Phantom of the Opera).
Image – 8.5
Audio – n/a
Pass / Fail – Pass
Plays nicely with projectors – Yes
Worth your attention – 8 (if you love silent cinema, if not give it a try)
Upgrade from DVD – Yes!
Slipcover rating – n/a
Highly Recommended
RAH[/FONT][/SIZE]
Robert has been known in the film industry for his unmatched skill and passion in film preservation. Growing up around photography, his first home theater experience began at age ten with 16mm. Years later he was running 35 and 70mm at home.
His restoration projects have breathed new life into classic films like Lawrence of Arabia, Vertigo, My Fair Lady, Spartacus, and The Godfather series. Beyond his restoration work, he has also shared his expertise through publications, contributing to the academic discourse on film restoration. The Academy Film Archive houses the Robert A. Harris Collection, a testament to his significant contributions to film preservation.
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