LITTLE
ANNIE ROONEY
Starring
Mark Pickford, William Haines, Walter James, Gordon Griffith, Carlo
Shipa, Spec O'Donnall, Vota Vale. Directed by William Beaudine.
(1925/94 min).
FANCHON
THE CRICKET
Starring
Mary Pickford, Jack Standing, Lottie Pickford, Gertrude Norman,
Russell Bassett, Jack Pickford, Milton Berle (supposedly). Directed
by James Kirkwood. (1915/94 min).
AVAILABLE
ON BLU-RAY FROM
Review by Mr. Paws😸
According
to the press release, these two films are the first of several
restored Mary Pickford films Flicker Alley plans to bring home on
Blu-Ray. One is far more entertaining than the other, but from a
historical standpoint, both are worth checking out and the transfers
are outstanding.
 |
| LITTLE ANNIE ROONEY: PURR-R-R |
Of
the two, Little Annie Rooney is definitely the keeper. Pickford plays the
titular character, a scrappy 12-year-old (though she was in her 30s
at the time) who frequently brawls with the other boys in the Irish
slums of New York. The film is, by turns, funny, silly, charming,
tragic and ultimately poignant. Having never actually seen a Mary
Pickford film until now, I was thoroughly impressed with her
emotionally complex performance, especially considering the narrative
limitations of silent films. The same can be said for the rest of
the cast. Though we seldom know what most characters are saying, the
story is consistently engaging, helped immensely by a
newly-commissioned music score by Andy Gladbach
 |
| "...and I'll kill you last." |
 |
| FANCHON THE CRICKET: MEH. |
Fanchon
the Cricket is far less engaging. While visually impressive,
there's little characterization and the story itself is too slight to
justify a feature length film. There are long stretches with
characters dancing, frolicking, chasing and bickering. Since this one
has even fewer title cards than Little Annie Rooney, we seldom
know specifically what everyone is squabbling about. In fact, it's a
long time before anything resembling a plot reveals itself: Pickford
plays a local young outcast who lives with her grandmother, whom
everyone in the nearby village thinks is a witch. Things get
complicated when she falls for a local boy who's already
engaged. During
the duller stretches - and there's a lot of 'em - I found myself
trying keep a sharp eye out for Milton Berle, who was seven at the
time and supposedly appeared in the film. I never spotted him,
though.
It
goes without saying every self-respecting cinephile should check out
at least one Mary Pickford film before they die. After all, she was
the era's biggest movie star. Of these two initial Blu-ray releases,
Little Annie Rooney best showcases her talent, while Fanchon
the Cricket is too shapeless to leave any kind of impression.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
DVD
COPY (Both Films)
23
PAGE BOOKLET (Both Films)
LITTLE
ANNIE ROONEY also includes a brief featurette in which musician Andy
Gladbach (who looks about 12) discusses the challenge of creating new
music for a century old film.
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