Sparrows

USA/1926 — directed by William Beaudine | 109 min.

By 1926, Canadian-born film actress Mary Pickford (1892–1979) had become the most powerful woman in Hollywood—celebrated onscreen for her “luminous tenderness and gutter ferocity” (Photoplay, 1916), and behind the camera as a shrewd businesswoman and co-founder of United Artists Studio.

Sparrows was her last great silent film, equal parts expressionistic thriller and epic melodrama. Set in an alligator-infested swamp on a “baby farm” where children are kept in rags and the keepers have a habit of “losing” babies, the film highlights Pickford’s flair for both suspense and heart. 

She personally oversaw every aspect of production, including the construction of a four-acre swamp set built from hundreds of trees, two boxcars of Spanish moss, and live alligators—all in service of her mission to deliver the orphans to safety.

“Sparrows is Pickford’s timeless work of art, anchored by her performance imbued with pathos, humor, and charm.” — Pordenone Silent Film Festival