:
Mary Pickford,
Mary Pickford,
Claude Gillingwater,
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:
Jack Pickford,
Jack Pickford,
Alfred E. Green,
more...
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: Not Rated
: Image Entertainment
: Silent
: 112 min.
: English
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Mary Pickford was at the height of her fame as "America's Sweetheart" when she took on the challenge of playing two roles -- a mother and her young son -- in this silent drama with comic accents. Cedric Fauntleroy (Pickford) is growing up under difficult circumstances in New York City; his father was the son of the Earl of Dorincourt (Claude Gillingwater Sr.), but he has passed on, and since the Earl never approved of Cedric's mother Dearest (also played by Pickford), whom he felt was only after his son's money, the Earl severed all ties with his daughter-in-law and grandson. However, the Earl discovers that he's in poor health, and he realizes that Cedric is the logical heir to his estate; hoping to mend fences, the Earl has Cedric brought back to England to live with him. However, while Dearest is allowed to come along, she is not allowed to stay at the Earl's estate with her son, as he has yet to forgive her. In time, another boy appears at the Earl's doorstep claiming that he is the rightful heir to the Earl's fortune and that Cedric is merely an imposter; it takes some quick thinking by Cedric, Dearest, and their friends to save the day. Little Lord Fauntleroy was photographed by Charles Rosher Sr., one of the most accomplished cinematographers of the silent era; he planned and executed the film's most famous shot, an elaborate double exposure in which Pickford as Dearest kisses Pickford as Cedric; lasting only three seconds onscreen, the shot took 15 hours to set up and shoot. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
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| A sweet silent classic
by JKelly
April 21, 2005 - 9:24 PM PDT
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3 out of 3 members found this review helpful
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| I rented this because I loved the 30s version. I didn't realize until I started watching it that Mary Pickford, famed as "America's Sweetheart," played the dual roles of the lead and his mother. She is so convincing that it is easy to forget, while watching, that she plays both roles. Keep in mind that the one role has her as a lovely grown woman, while in the other she is a diminutive boy. The camera work is incredible. You will not see a line or other hint that there is one actor playing two roles. I have seen movies from the 1970s that could take a lesson from this film. In one scene, her boy character kisses her mother character. Faces slide past each other and it looks absolutely authentic. In another, the boy passes from one to the other side of the mother. Seamless. And the film establishes the littleness of Lord Fauntleroy very convincingly, both in comparison to other characters, including his mother, as well as with chairs and other oversized props. And of course the story itself is very sweet. If you're a sentimentalist, you will enjoy this film. |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 8.00)
4 Votes
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