Mary Pickford or Girl with the Curls - Essay Example

19 May A Midsummer Night’s Dream Analysis Paper Mary Pickford, born in 1892 in Canada, soon came to be known as ‘America’s Sweetheart’ asshe delivered excellent performances and soon became part of the Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood. Pickford has been known throughout her acting career as one of the milestones of success for the entire field, especially in Canada and has brought the limelight to shine upon a different genre of acting altogether. She led to a high rise of growth and development through her works in the industry and has helped it to boom and develop thus. According to sources in Hollywood, Mary Pickford’s works have even gone so far as to shape the entire structure of film making and acting. She has been named as the 24th greatest star of all time by the American Film Institute for her contributions towards silent film making and production. Also known as the ‘Girl with the Curls’, Mary’s lifelong dream was always to be a part of the cinemas, either on or off the screen. Following her dreams, her siblings were also influenced by her demands and desire to be a part of the glitz and glamour and bring entertainment to the world. She first appeared in ‘The Silver King’, a production of the Princess Theatre in Toronto; a seven year old ready to take on the world with all her acting skills and inherent latent talent. Soon, she became a known part of the realm of theatre acting and productions as she began to appear in several remakes of plays and independent productions. Mary was also a lead part of the play titled ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’, in which she played the role of a little girl called Eva. This play went on to become the most popular and widely sought after play of the 19th century with time and mass appeal. As her family witnessed her growth and development in the acting field, they helped her progress and pave her way for the future by helping her tour all across the United States of America in order to audition for various productions and theatre plays all around the country. (About Mary Pickford) At a young age, she was also able to land herself the lead role in a Broadway play by the name of ‘The Warrens of Virginia’. Despite this great opportunity, she was not able to establish a name for herself in the field yet. However, in the year 1909, while auditioning for a movie role in ‘Pippa Passes’, Mary realized that her cup of tea lay in movies and not in theatre. The director of the same movie, D.W Griffith, was supportive in helping her make this decision and transition from plays to movies as he helped her tap her potential and make her understand the difference despite her not being able to land the role in the movie. Soon however, she began shooting movies as she travelled all the way to California. People began to notice her and even started giving her nicknames based on her lovely curls and hair. She even started appearing in advertisements all around the city and soon the country as she took to bigger brands. There was a sudden demand to see her work all around and people began to admire her for the struggle that she had undergone in order to reach the position that she had, in such a short time span, as well as the young age at which she had decided to begin conquering the industry. The Biograph picture titled ‘New York Hat’ however was the last picture that Mary made before she went back to being a part of Broadway and theatre productions, in the year 1912. There, she was a part of ‘A Good Little Devil’, a production that Mary says had been a life altering experience for her. However, this year off from film making made her only weep and yearn for the former even more because she missed it deeply. She wanted to go back to the same because she realized that her fate lay in it. In 1913 thus, a year later and taking an off from Broadway and theatre productions, Mary decided to move back to film making; and this time, for good. She soon started taking part in different movies belonging to different and various genres. All this helped to tap her potential and inner tensile strength with respect to her acting capabilities. She began to realize how she was born to act and entertain people, and she was excellent at it as well. People loved her; they admired her and she soon became a face acknowledged on a national as well as international basis. In totality, Pickford was a part of almost 52 features and kept signing new contracts in order to increase the levels of her stardom and reach out to more and more people on a more global basis. She soon formed the United Artists film production company along with the assistance and help of D.W Griffith, Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks. She soon began taking part in movies that had sound as well, and this also helped to give a transition to the entire world of cinematography and movie making. According to her, applying sound on a movie was like ‘putting lipstick on the Venus de Milo.’ She soon also won herself an Academy Award for her new looks and different role in the movie Coquette which was on the lines of being a socialite in New York City at the time and age she was living in. in 1933, much later and towards the peak of her career, Mary even went Technicolor for the movie ‘Alice in Wonderland.’(Mary Pickford) She had a large and humble heart because he was able to maintain her stance in reality despite the kind of attention she received from people because of her increased levels of stardom, throughout her career. Her relationships with men also saw some turns here and there, however, she remained happy with whoever she was with. She was an excellent businesswoman and knew how to make her way around with people. (American Experience | Mary Pickford | PBS) This is how she was able to, with a few notable others, form the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences as well. She continued to act in movies and went on to epitomize different genres of acting, setting a very high bar for the generations of actors and actresses to come. Mary truly had it all; and she rightfully owned all the statute and status she had attached to herself because of her ability to work hard and earn it all for herself. She thus went from scratch to owning it all; from rags to riches, making a name for herself and being able to establish herself on a global basis. She is a name that will always be remembered in the American film industry; as a name that helped to bring about notable changes worthy of causing growth to the entire film industry in general. Works Cited "About Mary Pickford." Mary Pickford Institute for Film Education. Web. 19 May 2011. . Mary Pickford. Dundurn Pr, 2011. Print. "American Experience | Mary Pickford | PBS." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 19 May 2011. . Read More