If you've never seen a Mary Pickford film, this is not the place to start. Ms. Pickford was one of the greatest early film performers; and, this, her first sound offering, is an artistic failure. The Helen Hayes play "Coquette" (1927) might have seemed like an ideal way to introduce a talking Pickford. Sadly, it may have contributed to her impending retirement from films; and, Pickford continued to choose some questionable film projects. The opening scenes, with Pickford positively awful as the coquettish southern belle "Norma Besant", are embarrassing. If you can get used to the characters, later scenes may marginally repair the damage; in fact, the much admired "trial" and "cabin" breakdown scenes earned Pickford a "Best Actress" Oscar.
** Coquette (3/30/29) Sam Taylor ~ Mary Pickford, Johnny Mack Brown, John St. Polis
** Coquette (3/30/29) Sam Taylor ~ Mary Pickford, Johnny Mack Brown, John St. Polis