Tess of the Storm Country

America's Sweetheart,' Mary Pickford, played a vast array of characters in her long movie career. In the opening title of 1922's "Tess of the Storm Country," she states her favorite role was playing the daughter of a squatter fisherman, Tess Skinner.

Pickford took the role of Tess twice, originally in the Edwin S. Porter-directed work in 1914, a movie the actress had complained of his pedestrian direction. She was much happier with the second version, partly because of John S. Robertson, who earlier helmed the John Barrymore 1920 'Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde' film. Pickford also cited the advancements of cinematic techniques and technology taking place within the span of 1914 and the current 1922 times, making possible an aesthetic leap in improvement by updating a story she said deserved her second performance. The Grace Miller White 1909 novel received further adaptations in 1932 with Janet Gaynor and in 1960 with Diane Baker.

In the Pickford version, set in Ithaca, New York, a rich man owns property from top of the hill where his mansion sits all the way down to the shores of a big lake. That is where a group of squatters have set up a fishing village smack dab on his land. He's raised two children, now adults, a son who sides with the squatters, played by Lloyd Hughes in his first leading role, and a daughter, with actress Gloria Hope, who's madly in love with a law student. Pickford's spunky performance as Tess attracts the eye of Lloyd, the landowner's son. In real life, Hughes and Hope, meeting for the first time on the set, fell passionately in love and married soon after they finished "Tess of the Storm Country." Unusual for a Hollywood couple, the two remained married until Hughes' death in 1958.

The plot has every melodramatic device known in cinema: love, friendship, greed, murder, attempted kidnapping, an out-of-wedlock birth, sacrifice and a bit of comedy. Pickford's the glue that holds everything together. The actress was extremely happy with the positive reviews "Tess of the Country Storm" received. The accolades were especially appreciated after the disappointing negative ones said about her previous film, 1921's 'Little Lord Fauntleroy,' despite its box office success. 'Tess' was the only film Pickford appeared in 1922.

Besides being a good melodrama with some fine moments, the role of Tess offers Mary Pickford quite a showcase, providing some good comic moments, a number of moving scenes, and some tense confrontations. You can see why it was not only one of her most popular roles, but also one of her own favorites. The story is quite involved and sometimes thought-provoking, although there is more than one occasion when it sacrifices believability for cinematic effect.

At the beginning it introduces an interesting assortment of characters, and sets up the conflicts to come between the family of rich, mean-spirited Elias Graves and the poor squatters (including Tess), whom Graves is devoted to driving out. The tumultuous events that follow test their loyalties and perspectives. It does have more implausible or coincidence-laden developments than do most of Pickford's movies, but if you can suspend disbelief on those occasions, it's an entertaining story that makes you care about the characters. It's also quite a bit longer than most of Pickford's features, but that is primarily because there is so much going on; there aren't too many slow spots. In its time it was one of her signature roles, and it's still well worth watching.

Uneducated & defiant, beautiful TESS OF THE STORM COUNTRY is the daughter of a fisherman squatting on a rich man's land. Spirited & bold, she captures the heart of the millionaire's son, but violence, terror & sudden death are what will haunt her immediate future before she can claim the sweet peace of happiness.

Mary Pickford is utterly charming in this splendid, heart-wrenching film. She considered Tess to be her favorite role and she fills it with all the spunky joy & enthusiasm which made her for years the world's most popular movie star. The story has all the essential elements for a modern fairy tale, with Mary the lovely, distressed heroine beset by all manner of dangerous, stressful situations. The atmospherics are first-rate, with the outdoor fishing village sets being particularly well-conceived.

In the supporting cast, Jean Hersholt stands out as the vile villain who tries forcing Pickford to marry him. Hersholt, a very gentle soul off screen, manages brilliantly to depict his character's complete moral corruption.

This was actually the second time Pickford filmed TESS. A 1914 version had been one of her first important films, but its production values were a bit antiquated by the standards of the 1920's (no close-ups, for instance) and Mary, producing her own films & powerful enough by 1922 to make whatever film she wanted, decided for the only time in her career to remake a film. The end result certainly lived up to her expectations. Both films were very popular at the box office.

A fascinating study for some future film researcher would be the influence of Christianity in Mary Pickford's life; it certainly runs like a golden thread through the silent movies she produced. Although the romanticism inherent in the very nature of silent cinema might cause these spiritual sentiments to appear somewhat awkward today, we are compelled to accept them as sincere reflections, by their very repetition, of Mary's heartfelt beliefs. In TESS, one beautiful scene in particular stands out in this regard: Pickford is teaching herself to read using a Bible. She indicates to Lloyd Hughes (who plays her sweetheart) a word from near the back of the Book that she does not understand. He mimes it for her (the word is obviously `crucified') and, eyes turned Heavenward as the full meaning of the Sacrifice dawns upon her, Mary's face becomes positively beatific.

A splendid new orchestral score for TESS has been supplied by Jeffrey Mark Silverman which perfectly underscores the beauty & pathos of this wonderful film.

Here is proof of why Mary Pickford was `America's Sweetheart.' In this rather complex drama, Mary plays the young daughter of a squatter that dare to dream of a relationship with the son of one of the `hill-toppers.' The scenes where they steal a kiss and otherwise fall in love are simply delightful. She is even willing to take a bath. That Mary could pull this role off at the age of 30 is simply amazing and somewhat due to her diminutive stature (5').

Tess must face numerous physical and emotional challenges. She does so with spunk not seen in many heroines of the time. Tess packs a wallop and is not shy about fighting with anyone. Why she agrees to help the `hill-topper' daughter is beyond me, but she sacrifices her own happiness in order to keep a deep secret. Pickford's close ups are wonderful.

Danish-born Jean Hersholt is simply wonderful as the villain. The scene in which he manhandles a small baby is enough to make you throw vegetables (or whatever) at the movie screen. If Forrest Robinson (who plays Daddy Skinner) had worn a beard, he would have been a match for the model used in those World War I recruiting posters of Uncle Sam – Wants You!

Although the story is somewhat predictable and slow in the beginning, it is worth the investment in your time to see the piece or pure `Americana.' The film highlights choices available to us all involving making someone else happy and what it is to be a real Christian. Recommended.

I had never seen a silent movie until July 24, 2005. I had never seen a movie with Mary Pickford in it. I've seen thousands of movies. Very few are hypnotic to me. I found Last of the Mohicans and Unforgettable (Ray Liotta) to be hypnotic, so consider the source as you read this. I started watching Tess of the Storm Country on TCM just to see who this Mary Pickford was, who has been credited by many for launching Hollywood. I had no idea what I was in for. Two hours later, I snapped out of it, and realized I'd watched one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen, playing a role perfectly suited to her. Imagine a movie fan in 1922, having never seen anyone that gorgeous and that expressive before. You would have to see her again and again. The setting was perfect for a girl that expressive. She was a poor squatter, couldn't speak the King's English, but you had to admire her. What a movie... time to start my Mary Pickford movie collection!