Through the Back Door | |
---|---|
Directed by | Alfred E. Green Jack Pickford |
Written by | Gerald C. Duffy (aka Gerald Duffy) Marion Fairfax |
Produced by | Mary Pickford |
Starring | Mary Pickford Gertrude Astor |
Cinematography | Charles Rosher |
Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
|
Running time | 89 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
Through the Back Door is a 1921 American silent comedy drama film directed by Alfred E. Green and Jack Pickford, and starring Mary Pickford. [1]
The movie starts in Belgium in the early 1900s. Jeanne (Mary Pickford) is the 10-year-old daughter of Louise (Gertrude Astor). Troubles start when Louise remarries a selfish but rich man named Elton Reeves (Wilfred Lucas). He convinces her to move to America and leave Jeanne behind in Belgium to live with the maid Marie (Helen Raymond). At first Louise refuses to, but eventually gives in and leaves Jeanne in the care of Marie.
Five years pass and Jeanne and Marie bonded. Meanwhile, Louise hated living in America and feels guilty having left her kid behind. She returns to Belgium to reunite with Jeanne, but Marie does not want to give her up. When Louise finally arrives, Marie lies to her Jeanne drowned in a river nearby. Louise is devastated and collapses, before returning to America. This results in estranging from Elton.
World War I breaks out and Belgium is occupied by Germany. Marie fears for Jeanne's safety and brings her to America to live with her mother. After an emotional goodbye, Jeanne sets out for America to find her mother. Along the way she meets two orphan boys and decides to take care of them. When she finally arrives in America, she travels to Louise's big mansion.
Too afraid to tell her she is her daughter, Jeanne applies to serve as her maid. While pretending to be someone else, she gets to know her mother. However, she has trouble keeping up the lie and wants nothing more but have a reconciliation. Waiting for the right time to tell the truth, Jeanne hopes everything will come to a right end. When guests of the mansion plot to fleece Elton, Jeanne is forced to reveal her true identity to save the day. A happy reunion follows.
Gladys Louise Smith, known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian actress resident in the United States, and also producer, screenwriter, and film studio founder. She was a pioneer in the American film industry, with a Hollywood career that spanned five decades.
Wilfred Van Norman Lucas was a Canadian American stage actor who found success in film as an actor, director, and screenwriter.
Gertrude Astor was an American motion picture character actress, who began her career playing trombone in a woman's band.
The Hessian Renegades is a 1909 American silent war film directed by D. W. Griffith. It is set during the American Revolution.
Ramona is a 1910 American short drama film directed by D. W. Griffith, based on Helen Hunt Jackson's 1884 novel Ramona. Through a love story, the early silent short explores racial injustice to Native Americans and stars Mary Pickford and Henry B. Walthall. A copy of the print survives in the Library of Congress film archive. The film was remade in 1928 with Dolores del Río and 1936 with Loretta Young.
A Romance of the Redwoods is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Mary Pickford.
The Little American is a 1917 American silent romantic war drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. The film stars Mary Pickford as an American woman who is in love with both a German soldier and a French soldier during World War I. Art direction for the film was done by Wilfred Buckland. John Hay Beith was technical advisor on the film, credited under his pen name, Ian Hay.
The Wicked Darling is a 1919 American silent crime film directed by Tod Browning, and starring Priscilla Dean, Wellington A. Playter and Lon Chaney as pickpocket "Stoop" Connors. This was the first time Lon Chaney appeared in a Tod Browning film, and many other collaborations between the two men would follow.
Stella Maris is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by Marshall Neilan, written by Frances Marion and based on William John Locke's 1913 novel of the same name. The film stars Mary Pickford in dual roles as the title character and an orphan servant.
Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall is a 1924 American silent historical drama film directed by Marshall Neilan and starring Mary Pickford. The script by Waldemar Young was based upon the 1902 novel Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall by Charles Major.
Kiki is a 1926 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Clarence Brown and starring Norma Talmadge and Ronald Colman. The film is based upon a 1918 play of the same name by André Picard, which was later adapted by David Belasco and performed on Broadway to great success in 1921 by his muse Lenore Ulric.
The Goose Woman is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Clarence Brown and starring Louise Dresser with Jack Pickford as her son. The film was released by Universal Pictures.
The Wanters is a 1923 American silent society drama film produced by Louis B. Mayer, directed by John M. Stahl and distributed by Associated First National Pictures, which became First National Pictures in 1924. The film stars Marie Prevost, Robert Ellis, and Norma Shearer.
Paula is a 1952 American film noir drama film directed by Rudolph Maté, and starring Loretta Young, Kent Smith, and Alexander Knox. It was produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures.
Cornered is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by William Beaudine. The story was filmed again in 1930 as a talkie called Road to Paradise. It was also directed by Beaudine. According to Warner Bros records the film earned $235,000 domestically and $22,000 foreign.
The Gibson Goddess is a 1909 short comedy film directed by D. W. Griffith. It stars Marion Leonard.
The Kentucky Derby is a 1922 American silent adventure film directed by King Baggot and starring Reginald Denny. It is based on a Broadway play The Suburban by Charles T. Dazey. It was produced and distributed by Universal Film Manufacturing Company. Denny's first starring feature-length movie.
The Wife Who Wasn't Wanted is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by James Flood and written by Bess Meredyth. It is based on the 1923 novel The Wife Who Wasn't Wanted by Gertie Wentworth-James. The film stars Irene Rich, Huntley Gordon, John Harron, Gayne Whitman, June Marlowe, and Don Alvarado. The film was released by Warner Bros. on September 12, 1925.
Polly Redhead is a 1917 American silent comedy film directed by Jack Conway and starring Ella Hall, Gertrude Astor and Charles Hill Mailes.
Just Like a Woman is a 1912 silent short film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Mary Pickford. It was produced by the Biograph Company and distributed by General Film Company.