Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall (1924)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Marshall Neilan

Writers:

Charles Major (novel) and
Waldemar Young (adaptation)

Release Date:

25 May 1924 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | Romance

Plot:

In the year 1550, Sir George Vernon agrees to have his young daughter Dorothy betrothed to John Manners...

Plot Keywords:

Historical | Tudor | Based On Novel | Character Name In Title

Cast

Mary Pickford	...	Dorothy Vernon
Anders Randolf	...	Sir George Vernon
Marc McDermott	...	Sir Malcolm Vernon
Carrie Daumery	...	Lady Vernon
Allan Forrest	...	Sir John Manners
Lottie Pickford	...	Jennie Faxton (as Lottie Pickford Forrest)
Wilfred Lucas	...	Earl of Rutland
Clare Eames	...	Queen Elizabeth
Estelle Taylor	...	Mary, Queen of Scots
Courtenay Foote	...	Earl of Leicester
Colin Kenny	...	Dawson
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Julie Bishop	...	Child Extra (as Jacqueline Wells)

Runtime:

135 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Filming Locations:

Samuel Goldwyn/Warner Hollywood Studios - 1041 N. Formosa Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Mary Pickford Company

Trivia:

In Allan Forrest's opening scene, the broad bare shoulders seen as his wound is being dressed actually belong to Mary Pickford's husband Douglas Fairbanks, who was busy filming on the next-door set and was brought in as "body double" when Forrest's own physique was felt to be inadequate.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Mary Pickford: A Life on Film (1997)

Solid, Detailed Period Melodrama

This solid melodrama features Mary Pickford in an interesting, detailed period setting that makes pretty good use of the possibilities. While not one of Pickford's better-known movies, the role gave her a chance to use a good variety of her talents. Other than being a little overlong, it works well.

As "Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall", Pickford plays a spirited daughter of a prominent family in 16th century England, with a romantic tangle-up, a violent dispute between two nearby estates, and political intrigue all tied up together in an involved story.

The supporting cast gets a good number of opportunities, and in general they perform well enough. Anders Randolf plays Dorothy's father, and he gets some good moments. It's also somewhat interesting to see Lottie Pickford get a fair amount of screen time in this one, although much of the time her character does not get much to do, other than obeying the instructions that she is given.

The story takes several turns, and aside from a few slower spots that could have been tightened up a bit, it builds up nicely. In at least one video version, a couple of the later scenes seem to have gotten out of sequence, but the story-telling technique is good enough that you can figure things out as long as you were paying attention. It's pretty good overall.