Acting
Pickford's theatrical gestures clash with sound demands.
Production
Early talkie tech constraints become accidental aesthetic.
Director
Sam Taylor
Mary Pickford
Norma Besant
Johnny Mack Brown
Michael Jeffery
Matt Moore
Stanley Wentworth
John St. Polis
Dr. John M. Besant
William Janney
Jimmy Besant
Henry Kolker
Jasper Carter
George Irving
Robert Wentworth
Louise Beavers
Julia
Phyllis Crane
Bessie
Joseph Depew
Joe
Robert Homans
Court Bailiff
Vera Lewis
Miss Jenkins
Craig Reynolds
Young Townsman at Dance
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Pickford's Oscar was technically non-competitive; Academy created special category for talkie pioneers.
The film's 'coquette' label reveals 1920s anxiety about women's sexual autonomy—Norma's punished for exactly what the poster sells.
US
