STELLA MARIS (1918) B/W & C "silent" 77m/85m dir: Marshall Neilan

w/Mary Pickford, Conway Tearle, Camille Ankewich, Ida Waterman, Herbert Standing

From Variety's contemporary review of the film: "In Stella Maris, a screen adaptation of the novel of the same title, originally written by William J. Locke, and picturized by Frances Marion, Mary Pickford is given an opportunity to act that proves a revelation. There are two characters in Locke's story of great importance. One is Stella Maris and the other Unity Blake. Pickford plays them both.

"In the former she is the sweet ingenue type one expects her to be, but in the latter she is a deformed little slatternly slavey. Stella Maris is a sweet child, an orphan, crippled in her nether limbs from birth. Her parents were wealthy and left her well provided for.

"As Unity Blake she sees nothing but the harder side of the world's face, for Unity is also an orphan and the inmate of a home. John Risca (Conway Tearle) is the hero.

"It is a production for which the director, Marshall Neilan, must receive unstinted credit. It is a revelation in exterior locations and interior settings and the titling is exceedingly clever."