Fanchon, the Cricket

Mary Pickford plays Fanchon, the granddaughter of a woman considered a witch by the villagers, who grows up wild in the woods somewhere in pre-revolutionary France. The film is about how Fanchon falls in love with Landry, the son of the wealthiest villager (Jack Standing) and eventually wins him despite his initial betrothal to village beauty Madelon (Mary's sister Lottie). In many ways this is a delightful film. It is beautifully photographed; the scenes in the woodland are outstanding. In this respect, 'Fanchon the Cricket' has the feel of an early and extraordinarily well-made nature film. It is quite different from well-photographed films of the German expressionist kind that began to develop in the years before the First World War, but it is no less artistic. Besides, 'Fanchon' has been preserved in pristine condition (or expertly restored). The copy I watched looked as sharp and clear as if it had been filmed yesterday, and the tinting (amber for daylight, blue-grey for dusk etc.) enhances the mood of the film. Another plus is Pickford's acting. She is vivacious and has a huge range of expressions. On the downside is James Kirkwood's direction, which I found distinctly uninspired. The plot does drag occasionally, and it could also have been fleshed out quite a bit more. Over fairly large parts of the film the title cards are too rare to clarify what is going on. What I found really disturbing was the modern music, which apparently has been specially composed for the film. It fits in no way. It has the wrong instruments and does not match the plot. I turned it off after a while and watched 'Fanchon' without sound. In sum, this film isn't perfect, but it is still beautiful and good to watch. It made me want to read George Sand's novel on which it is based.

Fanchon (Mary Pickford) is a wild girl living in the woods with her grandmother Fadet. The villagers suspect Fadet of being a witch. Fanchon is carefree and likes to prank the locals. She doesn't mind getting into fights with the boys. She falls in love with a villager but his father disapproves. There is family history.

This is a presumed lost film until it was recently discovered and recovered. It has silent star Mary Pickford and her siblings. There are unconfirmed rumors of other future stars. Pickford is great. On the other hand, I really don't like these older actors trying to play lovesick teenagers. On top of that, I don't like the folk rock music that is playing with the film. It sounds way too modern and clashes with the film. Nevertheless, this is fascinating and a definite must for any Pickford fans.

A rare screening of this obscure Mary Pickford title was one of the most anticipated events from the 2014 Cinefest in Syracuse, N.Y., but, as is so often the case, rarity doesn't equate with quality. The film, lamely directed by James Kirkwood, lacks technique. Kirkwood keeps the actors grouped in tight bunches, more like a faithful sheepdog than a movie director, reflecting none of the dynamic energy of films from the same period produced under the auspices of D.W. Griffith, Cecil B. DeMille and Thomas Ince. The lovely and entrancing Pickford is always worth watching, but her role here doesn't provide enough dramatic weight, and nothing she does lingers in the memory except for a lively scrap with her real-life brother, Jack Pickford, who plays a bratty villager. Mary's rather homely sister, Lottie, also has a role, making this picture perhaps the only extant example of all three Pickford siblings appearing in the same film.

In spite of the one star review over on Allmovieguide, I really enjoyed this long-lost Mary Pickford classic.

I saw an airiing on TCM for their Silent Sunday Night feature where the host explained the movie was long considered lost and in fact was still lost at the time of Mary Pickford's death in the '90's. Tragic as it was the only film she starred in with her two siblings.

The plot is quite simple, and is described as an adult fairy tale which I think is accurate. Nothing much comes of Fanchon and her grandmother supposedly dabbling in witchcraft.

For a film that has been restored, I thought it looked quite nice and the print was far better than some others I have seen from the silent era. I like the color changes to represent times of day. The last shot is great.

I, for one, enjoyed the music. Sure, it is way more contemporary sounding than what would have accompanied the movie at the time but I thought the soundtrack did a good job of making it more enjoyable for the modern viewer. I guess I am in the minority here judging by the other reviews.

In short, Mary Pickford is still lovely. The story is simple, but it looks pretty nice and never wore out it's welcome. I'd recommend for anyone interested in Mary Pickford or the silent film era.

This is a really interesting film, to bad Mary Pickford never saw it, she thought itl was lost.

Seen other of her films but this one really shines for her. She is a beautiful lady. In so many scenes she radiates. The story is a adult fable of sorts. Wild girl gets the handsome gentry kind of thing. Not all is good though. Not going to spoil it but it gets interesting. So I watched the digital restoration it very well done. But I hate the added soundtrack. It reminds me of a sort of Grateful Dead fever dream. What should it of been ? More grandiose but in the spirit of the time period of the film. So really watch with the sound down or maybe your favorite stk. I even tried Cocteau Twins and it kind of worked.