SPARROWS is the third of three recent releases from The Mary Pickford Foundation. The other two are LITTLE ANNIE ROONEY (1925) which has been around for years in substandard public domain copies and FANCHON THE CRICKET (1915) which was only recently discovered. All three have been beautifully restored and have been issued with newly commissioned music. The first two were issued by Flicker Alley back in 2018 while SPARROWS is a brand new VCI release. VCI now owns the rights to the other two titles. The new scores are a mixed bag with FANCHON being totally inappropriate while LITTLE ANNIE ROONEY is serviceable. Fortunately the new score for SPARROWS works very well.
SPARROWS would be the last time that Pickford would portray her “Little Mary” character. In 1926 she was 34 years old and while she could still pull it off, she longed to play adult roles. However her two previous attempts in 1923 and 1924 had done poor box office while her last film LITTLE ANNIE ROONEY, in which she played a young teenager, had been a huge hit. Sadly, SPARROWS was not. A lot of it had to do with the overall grim nature of the film which was set in a “baby farm” in a swamp somewhere in the Deep South. Also, by 1926, tastes had significantly changed and “Little Mary” was no longer attracting new moviegoers. She was considered a relic in the Jazz Age.
That’s too bad as this was one of her most accomplished movies. In addition to starring in the film Mary was the executive producer and had complete artistic control over the production. She always hired the best people she could find and paid them well. SPARROWS had no less than 3 cinematographers (Charles Rosher, Karl Struss, and Hal Mohr) who were among the best in Hollywood. The Dickensian swamp set was beautifully realized and Austrian actor Gustav von Seyffertiz is a wonderfully despicable villain. The children’s escape through the swamp is still hair raising and is the highlight of the movie. Too bad it couldn’t have ended there after the rescue as the last 15 minutes are incredibly maudlin.
Two previous quality incarnations date from 1999 and 2012. While they were good for their day, this new Library of Congress is a marvel to behold. The images are not only clear but they have depth and are, in some cases, breathtakingly beautiful. Check out the deleted “Angel” sequences for a good example although the final “Good Shepherd” scene remains incredibly moving. The old 1999 Image edition had a Gaylord Carter organ score while 2012’s RAG & RICHES Blu-Ray featured an orchestral one by Hugh Munro Neely. Traditionalists will prefer Neely’s orchestral score but this new VCI by the Graves brothers can hold its own as it captures a child like quality in the beginning and a rousing one for the finish.
The Capsule Critic 