Tess of Storm Country (1922)
Directed By: John S. Robertson
Starring: Mary Pickford, Lloyd Hughes, Gloria Hope, Forrest Robinson
Length: 118 Minutes
This movie was a remake of a 1914 movie also starring Mary Pickford and directed by our old friend Edwin S. Porter (which was based on a novel).
The story is of a community of squatters, and in particular a father named Orn Skinner (Forrest Robinson) and his daughter, Tess Skinner (Mary Pickford). A rich family that lives on a hill overlooking a lake owns all of the land. I don't know what "squatter laws" were back then, but he was unable to evict the people, mostly fisherman and their families, off of his land.
The father of the rich family, Elias Graves, on the hill tries to get them evicted, but one of his sons, Frederick Graves (Lloyd Hughes) defends the squatters to the point where his father decides to cut him off. One more problem, Frederick is in love with Tess. However, he's not the only one. Ben Letts, one of the squatters, also fancies Tess.
Elias Graves and his daughter's fiancee come up with a plan. Useing nets to is illegal, even though using nets is the only way for the squatters to fish enough to feed their family and earn money. Elias and the police go through the squatters 'town' and confinscate all of the nets. All of them, except the one Tess manages to hide.
One night, Orn Skinner, Ben Letts and few other squatters take the net to fish. Ben Letts also brings along Orn's rifle. Elias, his daughter's fiancee and the police show up. Ben Letts shoots and kills Elias' soon to be son-in-law. Orn is charged with the crime, since he is the one found near the body and it was Orn's gun. It also presents another problem. Elias' daughter is pregnant. A chld out of wedlock. *gasp*
She has the child, and Tess offers to take the kid, to save Elias' daughter the embarrisment of having a kid out of wedlock. During the climatic ending, Frederick finds the child and is shocked, SHOCKED, to find Tess has a child and doesn't want to have anything to do with her.
I'm trying to figure out something to analogize how out-of-wedlock childbirth is portrayed in movies back then, but I can't think of anything. Maybe it would be like finding out the chick you are in love with is actually a dude. That's how the people react to a character they think had a child out of wedlock.
Anyway, jumping to the end, it has the typical happy ending. The father is found out to be innocent when the police discover it was Ben Letts who committed the murder. Frederick and Tess live happily ever after Why no spoilers for this last part? Because I forgot what happened. I watched this a month ago, and I honestly can't remember exactly how the ending occured, in what ordered, etc. This was a pretty...forgetable movie, although looking at the Mary Pickford movies I've rated in the past, it was a my favorite Mary Pickford movie, but still not all that good.
Not that I'm saying there is something wrong with Mary Pickford herself. She was a very talented actress. I just haven't found much to like about her movies. They all seem to be the same general theme, she plays the same character type....they're just boring.
Entertainment Rating: 5/10
Historical Rating: 5/10