Frances Marion: Without Lying Down

Without Lying Down:

Take the second title very seriously, this is very much about women in Hollywood. I completely agree that the powerful women who worked behind the camera in the silent era have been unjustly forgotten but I do not feel that this mini-documentary cast any more light on them. But first, Frances Marion.

As a previous reviewer pointed out, this documentary does little to explore her creative methods and instead chooses to tell her story with interviews from modern filmmakers and historians as well as narrative and quotation. Some of the narrative is quite ridiculous. After the San Francisco earthquake, we are informed that Marion was "empowered" to seek employment. In other words, she needed money and got a job.

Kevin Brownlow and Leonard Maltin are intelligent and enjoyable interviewees and I was quite interested in what Marion's secretary and nephew had to say but I too found the modern filmmakers to be a bit superficial in their comments. Of course, this documentary was made when most of the main players in the silent era were dead but I feel that time could have been spent more wisely and in a more balanced manner. For example, we are not informed that Pickford made two films with DeMille after he quit from "The Poor Little Rich Girl" nor are we told that it was Lillian Gish who had creative control in "The Scarlet Letter" and "The Wind", although she was forced to put a happy ending on the latter. Such omissions were irritating. (Gish was a woman too, give her a little credit!)

We are told what a brilliant writer Marion was but are shown comparatively few clips of her work. I would have loved to see more of it so that I could judge for myself. Show, don't tell is the cardinal rule of writing.

On the other hand, the few clips included are good and Brownlow and Maltin's expertise are always welcome.

Overall: 3 stars

A Little Princess

The real reason I bought this disc, this is a charming Pickford film made at the height of her fame and beauty. While not a masterpiece on the scale of "Stella Maris" or as sweetly romantic as "My Best Girl" it does display Pickford's considerable talent. Zasu Pitts makes a very charming Becky and Norman Kerry (mostly remembered for "The Phantom of the Opera") is suitably heroic as Pickford's beloved father. Marion does a fine adaptation of the children's classic

So, a worthy Pickford vehicle that deserved to be released.

Overall: 4 stars

So, in conclusion, take the documentary with a grain of salt and enjoy the silent charm!

There were also several bonuses for myself in this film, including seeing Kevin Brownlow, a film historian I greatly admire, for the first time. Also, as a Little Rascals fan, seeing Jackie Cooper somewhat recently was also worth my time.

Finally, A Little Princess is very interesting as it is not released on any other tape. I agree with the dozens of critics who say the Ali Baba sequences are far too long, but it is somewhat interesting. I especially like the way they filmed Mary in the barrel.

Overall, I recommend this to any Mary Pickford fan, but I'm not sure if fans of Francis Marion will think it is up to par.