Rags & Riches: Mary Pickford Collection

Mary Pickford was “America's Sweetheart” during the early 20th century—Hollywood's first female superstar, and the darling of silent cinema. Centering on the titular theme, Rags & Riches compiles three films from Pickford's prime years featuring the actress playing characters at both ends of the economic scale, but always as little girls in a grown-up world. The Poor Little Rich Girl (1917) casts Pickford as Gwen—a sweet but neglected adolescent daughter of a workaholic father and social-climbing mother—who just wants her parents' attention and affection. Directed by Maurice Tourneur, the decidedly old-fashioned family drama features an imaginative dream sequence that anticipates The Wizard of Oz. Almost a decade later in director William Beaudine's Sparrows (1926), Pickford plays Molly, an orphan imprisoned on a work farm in the swamps, serving as both big sister and mother figure to a ragtag collection of other children turned into virtual slaves by a gnarled Simon Legree–type character. Molly is a model of courage as she leads her charges in a thrilling escape to the promised land through the dank, fetid, alligator-infested wetlands. In The Hoodlum (1919), helmed by Sidney Franklin, Pickford's Amy Burke is a well-to-do lass who winds up in the slums, making do through pluck—which, luckily, Pickford has in abundance. All three works are backed by original scores performed by small orchestras. Also featuring the early short drama Ramona (1910)—directed by D.W. Griffith and starring Pickford in the title role—extras include audio commentaries, outtakes, and a home movie. A fine showcase for a silent-movie icon, this is recommended. (S. Axmaker)