Movielogr
Stella Maris (1918)
Directed by Marshall Neilan
Twitter Facebook Google+Overview
Stella Maris is a beautiful, crippled girl, who is cared for by a rich family. They shield her from the harsh realities of the world, so that she has no idea of the cruel things that some people do. Unity Blake is a poor orphan all too familiar with the harsh realities of the real world. These two young women both fall in love with John, love which is complicated by the fact that he is still married to (though separated from) a bad wife.
Rated NR | Length 84 minutes
Actors
Mary Pickford | Ida Waterman | Herbert Standing | Conway Tearle | Josephine Crowell | Marcia Manon | Lou Conley | Gustav von Seyffertitz
Viewing History (seen 1 time)
| Date Viewed | Device | Format | Source | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12/07/2018 | Computer | Streaming | Video on Demand | 8 stars |
| (Average) 8 stars |
Viewing Notes
A great melodrama that never goes too far into ridiculousness (though it does skirt it with the two dogs subplot, which manages to be adorable and funny without being eyerolling), featuring Mary Pickford in dual roles. She’s amazingly good, especially when she gets to expand her talents playing the crippled and plain orphan, Unity. She’s so good that I didn’t even realize it was her in both roles until I read up a bit on the film after.
The director does an amazing job using shadows and light for dramatic effect, long before film noir. There’s a particular scene where Unity walks into frame, her face completely in shadow except for her eyes which are highlighted in a horizontal splash of light. In the 1940s that’s just a noir staple, but in 1917 that’s innovative!
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