IMDb > Tess of the Storm Country (1922)

Tess of the Storm Country (1922) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.8/10   148 votes
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Director:
John S. Robertson
Writers:
Grace Miller White (novel)
Elmer Harris (adaptation)
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Contact:
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Release Date:
12 November 1922 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Romance more
Plot:
Wealthy Elias Graves builds his home on the top of a hill, where a group of squatters have taken up residence at the bottom... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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User Comments:
Excellent Silent Drama With Marvelous Mary Pickford more (10 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (complete, awaiting verification)

Mary Pickford ... Tessibel 'Tess' Skinner
Lloyd Hughes ... Frederick Graves
Gloria Hope ... Teola Graves
David Torrence ... Elias Graves
Forrest Robinson ... Orn 'Daddy' Skinner
Jean Hersholt ... Ben Letts
Danny Hoy ... Ezra Longman
Robert Russell ... Mr. Daniel 'Dan' Jordan
Gus Saville ... Old Man Longman
Madame De Bodamere ... Mrs. Longman
rest of cast listed alphabetically:

Milton Berle ... Bit Role (uncredited)

Jeanne Carpenter ... (uncredited)
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Directed by
John S. Robertson  (as John Robertson)
 
Writing credits
Grace Miller White (novel)

Elmer Harris (adaptation)

E. Lloyd Sheldon (scenario) and
Josephine Lovett (scenario)

Produced by
Mary Pickford .... producer (uncredited)
 
Original Music by
Jeffrey Silverman (1998) (as Jeffrey Mark Silverman)
 
Cinematography by
Charles Rosher 
 
Art Direction by
Frank Ormston (uncredited)
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Shaw Lovett .... assistant director (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Paul Eagler .... trick photographer (uncredited)
 
Other crew
Adolph Zukor .... by arrangement with
 
Crew believed to be complete


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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
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Runtime:
USA:118 min (1998 alternate version) | USA:137 min (18.7 fps)
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Silent
Certification:
USA:Unrated
Filming Locations:
Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA more
Company:
Mary Pickford Company more

Fun Stuff

Movie Connections:
Referenced in Les portes tournantes (1988) more

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User Comments

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5 out of 5 people found the following comment useful.
Excellent Silent Drama With Marvelous Mary Pickford, 13 January 2001
10/10
Author: Ron Oliver (revilorest@juno.com) from Forest Ranch, CA

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.

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