Fanchon The Cricket (1915)

A mischievous waif (Mary Pickford) living in the woods with her grandmother (Gertrude Norman) is looked down upon by the townspeople, who suspect the grandmother of being a witch. She finds herself attracted to a young man (Jack Standing) from the village but the differences in their class marks a schism in the relationship. Based on the novel LA PETITE FADETTE by George Sand and directed by James Kirkwood, better remembered as an actor than director. Long thought as a lost film, the simple plot is a slip of a movie (Sand's novel is much more complicated) but it's an opportunity to see Pickford at the height of her career. The public loved to see her playing little girls and waifs and although there's a romance in the movie, she appears to be playing a girl around 14 years old. Hardly an important film of the silent era but Pickford fans should be delighted. The transfer I saw was restored and looked great and was aided by a lively underscore by Julian Ducatenzeiler and Andy Gladbach. With Russell Bassett, Richard Lee and Lottie Pickford (Mary's sister).