Little Lord Fauntleroy

Starring Mary Pickford, Claude Gillingwater, Joseph Dowling, James Marcus, Kate Price and Fred Malatesta

Cinematography by Charles Rosher. Based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Original orchestral score by Nigel Holton. Produced by the Mary Pickford Institute and Timeline Films.

"What the Earl saw was a graceful, childish figure in a black velvet suit, with a collar and lovelocks waving about his handsome manly little face, whose eyes met his with a look of innocent good fellowship." And thus Frances Hodgson Burnett popularized the turn of the century’s most famous fashion trend for young boys. Little Lord Fauntleroy was one of Mary Pickford’s most lavish productions and is still considered the finest adaptation of Burnett’s classic novel.

Young Cedric and his widowed mother, "Dearest," live in the slums of 1880s New York. Although small in stature, Cedric’s fierce battles as he defends himself against the neighborhood bullies are local legend. Poor but respectable, the family’s fortunes change when the elderly Earl of Dorincourt commissions the solicitor Haversham to bring his rightful heir, Cedric, back to England. The Earl welcomes Cedric but exiles Dearest to a cottage outside the manor, unjustly accusing her of marrying the Earl’s son for the money. Cedric must conquer the Earl’s hardened heart while confronting an unexpected claimant to the title.

Playing both Cedric (inspired by her brother Jack’s joy of mischief and her husband Douglas Fairbanks’ swagger) and his mother, the gentle and beautiful Dearest, Pickford exhibits her remarkable range as an actress. Also on display is the enormous talent of cameraman Charles Rosher (Sunrise) who created all the double exposure shots in which mother and son appeared in the same scene.

A highly influential film in its day (including Buster Keaton’s Our Hospitality), Little Lord Fauntleroy remains an extraordinarily entertaining and fascinating look at old New York and the English aristocracy.

Bonus Features

Stills Gallery for Little Lord Fauntleroy from the collections of the Mary Pickford Library, Rob Brooks and Joe Yranski

Stills Gallery featuring rare stills from the life of Mary Pickford, courtesy of of the Mary Pickford Library, Rob Brooks and Joe Yranski

Milestone Press Kit downloadable on DVD-rom

Reviews

"A perfect Pickford picture! Mary Pickford shows a range of versatility … that is almost startling!" — Variety