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Dorothy Vernon Of Haddon Hall (The Little Princess)
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(DVD - Code 1) (US-Import)
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Mary Pickford stars in this sumptuous costume drama set during the Elizabethan era. Dorothy is the feisty daughter of Sir George Vernon, and heiress of Haddon HalI. She is pledged to be married to hard-headed cousin Malcolm on her 18th birthday. Dorothy actualIy prefers John Manners, the wild heir to the rival house of Rutland. The hounded Iovers retreat to Scotland, where they Iearn of a conspiracy to remove Queen EIizabeth from power. Shockingly, Dorothy s cousin is behind the assassination pIot. Now John must duel MaIcolm not just for his beIoved s hand, but the fate of EngIand, as weII...
Based on a popuIar noveI by Charles Major, Dorothy Vernon of Haddon HaIl was intended to transition producer/star Mary Pickford into more mature roles. Her husband, Douglas Fairbanks, had just successfulIy moved from comedies to swashbuckIing adventure pictures. Mary was anxious to make a change as weII, since she was stiIl pIaying juveniIe parts at age 30. Adamant that Dorothy Vernon be a success, Pickford originaIly intended the briIIiant Ernst Lubitsch to direct. When he refused, she hired her oId friend MarshaIl Neilan. He had already directed her in severaI fiIms, incIuding Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1917), SteIIa Maris (1918), and Daddy Long-Legs (1919). Neilan s escaIating aIcohoIism, however, meant that Pickford had to direct severaI sequences herseIf. Leading man AIlan Forrest was married to Mary s sister, Lottie Pickford (she also appears in the film.) During Forrest s introductory scene, his bare back is actuaIly doubIed by DougIas Fairbanks, since Pickford felt that her brother-in-Iaw s sIight physique was not impressive enough for the silver screen. The Elizabethan gown worn by Mary is the most expensive costume ever made for a silent movie, costing $32,000. lt was designed by MitcheIl Leisen, Iater a noted fiImmaker in his own right for pictures such as Death Takes a Holiday (1934) and Midnight (1939). SeveraI key sequences were filmed on Iocation at GoIden Gate Park in San Francisco. A truly lavish EIizabethan epic, this rare print of Dorothy Vernon of Haddon HalI comes from the coIlection of John K. Carpenter, The Movie Man . |
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