The Silent Film era had one major advantage for actors in Hollywood: they didn’t have to worry about accents. Think of how many movies have been ruined because the director approved of an actor’s accent. Are you old enough to remember Kevin Costner’s non-accent when he was Robin Hood? Or perhaps that time Harvey Keitel played a police detective in Vienna that had a Brooklyn accent for Bad Timing? Even now people complain about actor’s accents in film and TV shows not being authentic enough. When Mary Pickford played an Italian woman in The Love Light, she didn’t have to worry about her accent because there was no microphone near her. She could focus on the physicality and emotions of her character.
During World War I, Angela (Stella Maris‘ Mary Pickford) is a young woman living in an Italian seaside town. Her brothers have gone off to fight and she’s appointed the local lighthouse keeper. She feels lonely in her new existence fearing the men in her life might die on the battlefields of Europe. While keeping her rounds, she finds Joseph (The Eagle’s Talon‘s Fred Thomson) on the rocks. He tells her that he’s an American sailor who has fallen off a ship. She agrees to hide the sailor from the rest of the village so he can get back to America eventually. She becomes smitten by the stranger to the point that they have a secret marriage. Their goal is to be able to make it all public once the war is over. Things seem quite wonderful for the new couple. She even uses the lighthouse beam to flash love signs to him back at the house. This is all cute until she discovers her new husband is holding back a major secret from her.
The Love Light must have been a slight shock to people who were expecting a war time romance that didn’t have such a dramatic twist. Mary Pickford was America’s sweetheart. How could a Joseph do such a wicked thing to her. You can still hear ladies in the audience gasp in the audience at the revelation. The movie also showed that Pickford was capable of pulling of heavier material.
What might come as a bit of a revelation to some; writer-director Francis Marion is a woman. She was married to star Fred Thomson at the time. Back in the 1921, film production companies weren’t all boy clubs when it came to who sat in the director’s chairs. When sound arrived, women were reduced to lesser jobs. Marion had established herself as a screenwriter on dozens of films so she continued to work in the sound era for a while as a writer. She won two Oscars for her scripts. Marion didn’t win anything for The Love Light because it was released almost 8 years before the first award ceremony. Mary Pickford gives a stellar performance as the woman who finds love in the chaos of World War I only to discover the reality of the sailor who conquered her heart. The best part is we can appreciate her performance without rating her accent. The Love Light is another great Mary Pickford film that’s so deserving to be revived.
The Video is 1.33:1 full frame. The restored black and white film looks so dazzling in 1080p. The Audio is LPCM 2.0 Stereo. The audio track is for Maiah Manser’s new score so you can enjoy the film without being in a silent room. While the movie isn’t subtitled, there are title cards with the dialogue.
DVD has the movie and bonus features.
Audio Commentary by Marc Wanamaker has him giving us his knowledge that he’s gathered while writing numerous books. He talks about the film’s importance after World War I. While on a trip in Europe, Francis Marion heard about the story that would be the basis for the film.
Friends (16:17) has Mary Pickford directed by D.W. Griffith. This is also silent with Mary played the fancy girlfriend who lives upstairs from a bar in a wild west town.
The Love Light Final Restoration Comparison (5:15) gives us side-by-side view of how they cleaned up the film so it looks sharp after 100 years.
Photo Gallery (5:24) has posters, lobby cards, press photos, behind the scenes shots.
Illustrated Booklet contains essays on the restoration and the new score by Maiah Manser.
VCI Entertainment presents The Love Light (1921). Directed by Francis Marion. Screenplay by Francis Marion. Starring Mary Pickford, Evelyn Dumo, Raymond Bloomer, Fred Thomson, Albert Prisco, George Regas, Eddie Phillips & Jean De Briac. Running Time: 103 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: December 10, 2024.
