Sparrows | 1926 | Drama, Thriller

Title: Sparrows | 1926 | Drama, Thriller Director: William Beaudine Studio: The Pickford Corporation Starring: Mary Pickford, Roy Stewart, Gustav von Seyffertitz, Charlotte Mineau, Spec O’Donnell, Lloyd Whitlock, Mary Louise Miller Based on: Original story by Winifred Dunn Release Date: September 19, 1926 Format: Silent, black-and-white, 1.33:1 , 35mm, English intertitles Country: United States Language: Silent Genres: Drama, Melodrama, Thriller --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Opening titles and the baby farm 00:18:30 Molly’s care and daily hardships 00:41:00 The kidnapped infant arrives 01:03:00 Escape into the swamp 01:25:00 Reunion and resolution --- Summary: In a harsh backwoods “baby farm” run by the cruel Grimes family, Molly, the eldest of the children, acts as a protector and surrogate mother to a group of younger charges. When criminals hide a kidnapped infant at the farm, Molly realizes the danger facing the child and the others under Grimes’s control. Molly leads the children in a perilous escape through an ominous swamp, evading both their captors and natural threats. The story blends suspense with pathos, highlighting themes of resilience, faith, and found family. --- Background: Produced by Mary Pickford through The Pickford Corporation and directed by William Beaudine, Sparrows was developed under working titles including Scraps before release through United Artists. Art director Harry Oliver transformed several acres of the studio backlot into a stylized Gothic swamp, while cinematographers Charles Rosher, Karl Struss, and Hal Mohr contributed to the film’s distinctive visual tone. The film premiered in Hollywood in May 1926 and later opened in New York in September 1926. --- Trivia: The film’s working title was Scraps, and it was also publicized early on as The Baby Farm. Accounts of Pickford acting among live alligators were later debunked by cinematographer Hal Mohr, who described how the swamp menace was safely achieved with studio effects. Sparrows premiered at Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood in May 1926 and later had its New York opening in September 1926 via United Artists. The production’s expansive swamp set was built on a multi-acre studio backlot, populated with transplanted trees and engineered pools of mud and water to create the Gothic environment. Sparrows is frequently cited as one of Pickford’s last silent-era triumphs before her final silent feature, My Best Girl . --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: September 19, 1926 Original Studio / Distributor: The Pickford Corporation / United Artists Copyright Status: Public Domain --- Hashtags: Sparrows MaryPickford SilentFilm PublicDomain WilliamBeaudine UnitedArtists ClassicCinema 1926 Source page: https: //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sparrows_(1926).webm Direct media URL: https: //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Sparrows_%281926%29.webm