Bookworms may be a short film (at little over twenty minutes long) but each individual second is jampacked with more charm, elegance, wit, and grace than you're bound to find in most full length flicks.
A young Leslie Howard plays Richard, a boy who falls in love with the neighborhood girl, Miranda (played by the fresh Pauline Johnson). The only problem is that Miranda's aunt and uncle (Henrietta Watson and Jeff Barlow) are trapped in a dried-out marriage, so to keep Miranda from making the same mistakes they made, she isn't allowed to become acquainted with any men. Miranda sits around all day, reading books and mending socks, trapped inside the monotonous life she's forced to endure. Richard, meanwhile, is coming up with several strategies to save poor Miranda from her stuffy relatives.
This is perhaps one of the most powerful nostalgic films I have ever seen. As I watched it, I got a full dose of what I've always believed the silent era is all about: a sort of innocence. Bookworms shows glimpses into a world that is long gone and I have to admit, it is almost overwhelmingly bittersweet. But it's such a darling film! Seek it out!
