1928-29 – Mary Pickford
Coquette
This is my first Mary Pickford film. When the film began, I didn’t have high hopes simply because I didn’t like the character she was portraying. She was playing Norma, a… well… a coquette, an annoying little self-centered brat who toyed with the affections of all the young men within reach. But my opinion sure did change in the second half of the movie!
The role was actually a very dramatic one, truly worthy of a Best Actress Oscar win. Pickford had to portray a believable character arch from the young and immature girl, to the faithful woman in love, pining for her man while he was away. And then in the latter half of the film, when her father murders him to prevent his daughter from marrying below her station, she really goes through the ringer! Fear, anger, tears, despondency! This role had it all, and Pickford did a fantastic job!
I found it interesting to learn that Mary was one of the founding members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, as was Richard Barthelmess, who was also nominated for the Best Actor at the first Academy Awards. In Coquette, Mary was 36 years old, playing the part of a girl in her early twenties, if not in her teens. Ah, the magic of Hollywood! Fortunately she had a very youthful beauty.
It was also interesting to note that Pickford had been acting in silent films for years, and that this was the first of only four talkies in which she starred. When she first heard her recorded voice, she didn’t like the way she sounded. She was quoted as saying, “Why that sounds like a little pipsqueak voice!” After that, she began taking intensive vocal lessons to help her with the Southern accent the role needed.
As I said, I was rather pleasantly surprised by the complexity of the role and the intensity of Pickford’s performance. The scenes of weeping and anger were well-played, although, come to think of it, I never saw any actual tears on her cheeks. When crying, she often hid her face from the cameras. Either way, it was clear that all those years acting in silent films came in handy when displaying her emotions without words. I think it was her eyes. She had beautiful and expressive eyes.