My Best Girl (1927) is another absolutely delightful essential. Directed with great panache by Sam Taylor who not only handles the producer, Mary Pickford, with great skill and elicits equally wonderful performances from the entire cast, but stages all the action from go to whoa with breath-taking acumen.
I believe a lot of the action was actually filmed in downtown Los Angeles, but it was too risky to film at night so two entire city blocks - complete with streetcars - were reconstructed on the studio's backlot!
It's good to see a movie that repays its enormous expense and is not only a directorial wonderland, but a fully engaging story acted with great charm and - dare I say it? - romance by Mary Pickford and Charles "Buddy" Rogers, and a finely attuned support cast led by Sunshine Hart as the girl's mother and Hobart Bosworth as the lad's dad.
It is an equal delight to see Mack Swain as the crusty judge - without his usual make-up. I always wondered what he really looked like!
This film is available on a superb 10/10 Milestone DVD.
I believe a lot of the action was actually filmed in downtown Los Angeles, but it was too risky to film at night so two entire city blocks - complete with streetcars - were reconstructed on the studio's backlot!
It's good to see a movie that repays its enormous expense and is not only a directorial wonderland, but a fully engaging story acted with great charm and - dare I say it? - romance by Mary Pickford and Charles "Buddy" Rogers, and a finely attuned support cast led by Sunshine Hart as the girl's mother and Hobart Bosworth as the lad's dad.
It is an equal delight to see Mack Swain as the crusty judge - without his usual make-up. I always wondered what he really looked like!
This film is available on a superb 10/10 Milestone DVD.