“Sparrows”: First time seeing both a Mary Pickford film* and a silent film with live musical accompaniment, courtesy of the Somerville Theatre as they kick off their Centennial programming (which I’ll be seeing as much of as I possibly can; as should you if you’re in the area). The film is flawless: it’s a dark tale, of orphans trying to escape a life of swamp-bound squalor imposed on them by a wicked farmer—that also maintains lightheartedness throughout; a combination of slapstick and cute naïveté from the ten protagonists adoptively mothered by Pickford’s Molly, a strong female lead if there ever was one, and this came out in ’26. (Think of a religious, country bumpkin version of Fiona Gallagher in the American “Shameless”). The stakes are consistently raised, too, which I am finding to be an essential storytelling device in any narrative. * Third, technically, by way of the two preceding shorts in tonight’s show: “Their First Misunderstanding”, and “The Dream”, the former of which was presumed lost but discovered in a barn in New Hampshire and restored only a few years ago.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 04:59:08 +0000
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