Mary Pickford

Mary Pickford's first talkie and the film that won her the Academy Award for Best Actress, the second ever awarded. She plays Norma Besant, a Southern coquette whose flirtatious ways mask a genuine love for Michael Jeffery, a man her domineering father forbids her to see. When the father takes matters into his own hands, the consequences spiral toward tragedy. The film was a deliberate departure for Pickford, who shed her curls and childlike image to play a sophisticated young woman, though the transition was not entirely smooth: early sound technology was unforgiving, and her performance has a stiffness that critics noted at the time. Still, the film was a box office success and proved that Pickford could make the leap into talkies. It is also notable as one of the earliest talkies to use the word "damn." Published in 1929, the film entered the public domain in the United States on January 1, 2025.

Drama · Romance

Mary Pickford stars in this 1919 silent comedy-drama based on Jean Webster's 1912 novel. An orphan named Judy Abbott is sent to college by a mysterious benefactor she knows only as "Daddy-Long-Legs," on the condition that she never try to meet him. She writes him letters chronicling her new life, falls into a romantic triangle, and eventually discovers that her benefactor is the man she has come to love. Directed by Marshall Neilan, the film was the first under Pickford's new production deal that gave her approval over the final edit, a hard-won concession that paid off: it was one of her biggest hits. The film's blend of comedy, sentiment, and Pickford's irrepressible screen presence made it a favorite with audiences. As a work published before 1930, it is in the public domain in the United States.

Comedy · Drama · Romance · Silent

Sparrows stars Mary Pickford as Molly, the oldest orphan on a Louisiana bayou "baby farm" run by the cruel Mr. Grimes (Gustav von Seyffertitz). When a kidnapped baby is brought to the farm, Molly resolves to lead the children to safety across the treacherous swamplands. Directed by William Beaudine and produced by Pickford through her own company, the film is a Gothic melodrama featuring atmospheric photography by Charles Rosher, Karl Struss, and Hal Mohr, including a celebrated night sequence in the alligator-infested swamp. As a work published before 1930, it is in the public domain in the United States.

Drama · Silent · Thriller

Mary Pickford, then twenty-five, plays eleven-year-old Gwendolyn, a wealthy girl whose parents are too busy with money and society to notice her. Raised by servants and kept at a distance from other children, Gwendolyn finally gets sent to school, where a lonely life collides with playground cruelty. A near-fatal dose of sleeping medicine tips the film into a celebrated dream sequence in which director Maurice Tourneur lets his visual imagination run loose. It was one of Pickford's biggest hits and the film that proved audiences would accept her as a child well into adulthood, paving the way for Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm and Pollyanna. Made in 1917, it is in the public domain.

Drama · Silent

A Cecil B. DeMille western starring Mary Pickford. Jenny Lawrence travels to a California logging camp to find her uncle, unaware he has been killed and his identity assumed by a stagecoach robber (Elliott Dexter) hiding from the law; recognizing the truth, she accepts his protection rather than face the camp alone. Shot on location in the redwoods and at the Lasky studio, the film was one of Pickford's early features under her own production company. As a work published before 1930, it is in the public domain in the United States.

Western · Drama · Silent

A Mary Pickford vehicle directed by James Kirkwood for Famous Players, and one of the earliest feature-length Cinderella adaptations. Pickford plays the fairy-tale heroine tormented by her stepmother and stepsisters, with her then-husband Owen Moore as Prince Charming. The film features early special effects in the pumpkin-to-coach transformation and was released as a Christmas attraction in December 1914. As a work published before 1930, it is in the public domain in the United States.

Fantasy · Silent

Mary Pickford's first talkie and the film that won her the Academy Award for Best Actress, the second ever awarded. She plays Norma Besant, a Southern coquette whose flirtatious ways mask a genuine love for Michael Jeffery, a man her domineering father forbids her to see. When the father takes matters into his own hands, the consequences spiral toward tragedy. The film was a deliberate departure for Pickford, who shed her curls and childlike image to play a sophisticated young woman, though the transition was not entirely smooth: early sound technology was unforgiving, and her performance has a stiffness that critics noted at the time. Still, the film was a box office success and proved that Pickford could make the leap into talkies. It is also notable as one of the earliest talkies to use the word "damn." Published in 1929, the film entered the public domain in the United States on January 1, 2025.

Drama · Romance

Mary Pickford stars in this 1919 silent comedy-drama based on Jean Webster's 1912 novel. An orphan named Judy Abbott is sent to college by a mysterious benefactor she knows only as "Daddy-Long-Legs," on the condition that she never try to meet him. She writes him letters chronicling her new life, falls into a romantic triangle, and eventually discovers that her benefactor is the man she has come to love. Directed by Marshall Neilan, the film was the first under Pickford's new production deal that gave her approval over the final edit, a hard-won concession that paid off: it was one of her biggest hits. The film's blend of comedy, sentiment, and Pickford's irrepressible screen presence made it a favorite with audiences. As a work published before 1930, it is in the public domain in the United States.

Comedy · Drama · Romance · Silent

Mary Pickford stars in a dual role as both the young Cedric Errol and his devoted mother "Dearest" in this adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's beloved 1886 novel. Cedric, a poor American boy living in Brooklyn, discovers he is the heir to an English earldom and is sent to live with his estranged, irascible grandfather in England, where his innocence and kindness gradually melt the old man's heart. Directed by Alfred E. Green with uncredited assistance from Jack Pickford, the film was one of Pickford's most successful productions and showcased her remarkable ability to play both a child and an adult in the same picture. As a work published before 1930, it is in the public domain in the United States.

Drama · Family · Silent

A 1927 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Sam Taylor, starring Mary Pickford and Charles "Buddy" Rogers. Maggie Johnson (Pickford) is a stock girl at Merrill's department store, where she falls for Joe Grant (Rogers), a new coworker. What Maggie doesn't know is that Joe is actually the son of the store's wealthy owner, working incognito to prove himself without his father's influence. When Joe is called back to his family, Maggie follows him and discovers the truth about his identity. This was Mary Pickford's last silent film. Rogers and Pickford later married in 1937. The film features an early uncredited appearance by Carole Lombard as a flirty salesgirl. Charles Rosher received an Academy Award nomination for his cinematography.

Comedy · Romance

Sparrows stars Mary Pickford as Molly, the oldest orphan on a Louisiana bayou "baby farm" run by the cruel Mr. Grimes (Gustav von Seyffertitz). When a kidnapped baby is brought to the farm, Molly resolves to lead the children to safety across the treacherous swamplands. Directed by William Beaudine and produced by Pickford through her own company, the film is a Gothic melodrama featuring atmospheric photography by Charles Rosher, Karl Struss, and Hal Mohr, including a celebrated night sequence in the alligator-infested swamp. As a work published before 1930, it is in the public domain in the United States.

Drama · Silent · Thriller

Mary Pickford plays a celebrated dual role in this Marshall Neilan drama adapted from William J. Locke's novel by Frances Marion. Stella Maris is a rich, sheltered invalid who has never been allowed to see the world's ugliness; Unity Blake is a beaten-down orphan from the workhouse who knows nothing else. When Unity is taken into the household of Stella's cousin (Conway Tearle), the two women's lives cross in ways neither understands, and Pickford's transformation into the plain, hunched Unity remains startling — she asked to be made as unbeautiful as possible. One of the best showcases of what silent-era star vehicles could do when their stars wanted to act rather than pose. Published in 1918, it is in the public domain in the United States.

Drama · Silent

Tess of the Storm Country is a 1914 silent drama directed by pioneer filmmaker Edwin S. Porter and starring Mary Pickford as Tessibel Skinner, a spirited young woman from a community of squatters living at the bottom of a hill. When a wealthy man builds a house atop the hill and seeks to evict the squatters, Tess fights to protect her family and neighbors. Based on the 1909 novel by Grace Miller White, the film was a major hit and helped establish Pickford as "America's Sweetheart." She would reprise the role in a 1922 remake. The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2006. As a work published before 1930, it is in the public domain in the United States.

Drama · Silent

Mary Pickford plays an American girl whose ship is torpedoed by a German U-boat on the way to France — a sequence Cecil B. DeMille staged as open propaganda while the United States was still deciding whether to join the war. Rescued and sheltered in a French chateau near the front, she is caught between a French officer and a German officer who both love her, and the film builds to the occupation of the chateau and an attempted assault that American audiences in 1917 read as Germany's crimes in miniature. Released months after the US entered the war, it was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic. A 1917 release, it is in the public domain.

Drama · War · Silent

Mary Pickford stars as Angela Carlotti, an Italian lighthouse keeper's sister whose life is upended when a wounded Austrian spy (Fred Thomson) washes ashore during World War I. Believing him to be a deserter seeking refuge, Angela shelters and falls in love with him, unaware of his true mission. Directed by Frances Marion, one of the most celebrated screenwriters and one of the few female directors of the silent era, the film showcases Pickford in a more dramatic, less childlike role than her usual fare. As a work published before 1930, it is in the public domain in the United States.

Drama · Romance · Silent

Mary Pickford, then twenty-five, plays eleven-year-old Gwendolyn, a wealthy girl whose parents are too busy with money and society to notice her. Raised by servants and kept at a distance from other children, Gwendolyn finally gets sent to school, where a lonely life collides with playground cruelty. A near-fatal dose of sleeping medicine tips the film into a celebrated dream sequence in which director Maurice Tourneur lets his visual imagination run loose. It was one of Pickford's biggest hits and the film that proved audiences would accept her as a child well into adulthood, paving the way for Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm and Pollyanna. Made in 1917, it is in the public domain.

Drama · Silent

A 1917 American silent drama film directed by Maurice Tourneur, starring Mary Pickford. Among the simple fisher-folk of a little island off the west coast of Scotland, Donald MacTavish rules as chieftain of his clan. When he dies at sea during a storm, his daughter Marget (Pickford) assumes the responsibilities of leadership at just 18 years old. Her sweet nature wins the affection of the clan, especially young fisherman Jamie Campbell (Matt Moore), who becomes engaged to her in a traditional ceremony. But a secret from Jamie's past threatens their happiness when the Countess of Dunstable arrives claiming Jamie as her long-lost son. Filmed on location in Marblehead, Massachusetts, with assistant direction by a young Clarence Brown. Based on the play by Eleanor Gates.

Drama · Romance