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Amarilly of Clothesline Alley [VHS]

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Amarilly of Clothes-line Alley is a good silent film and is indispensable for Mary Pickford fans. That said, it does not rise to the heights of, for example, Stella Maris or Daddy Long Legs. Somehow, Amarilly lacks the drama or the emotion of Pickford's very best films. It is a sort of Pygmalion story with poor girl Amarilly taken in by a rich admirer and his family, who try to change her. The rich are portrayed as either dissolute in their youthful excess or, if older, hypocritical and interfering in their attempts at charity. This is similar to the point that Griffith makes in his criticism of the charitable motives of do-gooders in the modern part of Intolerance.

The life of the poor in Clothes-Line Alley is shown to be hard. Amarilly is unjustly fired for something that is not her fault. Living conditions are overcrowded and the food is simple at best. Even the seedy side of life is hinted at when a group of young men decide to visit an establishment which is obviously a brothel. Where will Amarilly's future lie? In answering this question, whether she will join the rich or remain with the poor, the film tells a story which is frequently funny, sometimes touching and constantly entertaining.

The colour-tinted print which is used for this DVD is in good condition. It is faded in places and there are some scratches, but this damage is so minimal that it does not interfere with the viewer's enjoyment of the film. The score fits in well with the film's action and the period in which the story is set. It adds a great deal to the atmosphere of the various scenes and is memorable without being intrusive.

Amarilly of Clothes-Line Alley is only 67 minutes long, but the DVD has a wonderful bonus feature. It includes a short film called The Dream. This film, first released in early 1911 by The Independent Moving Pictures Company, was made by Thomas Ince who would go on to make the classic anti-war film Civilization in 1916. The Dream stars Mary Pickford as a married woman who is having trouble with her drunken and unfaithful husband. She is delightful in this film and the film itself packs so much into its one reel that it is easy to begin to appreciate the lost art of the one-reeler.

This was my first opportunity to see a complete film of Mary Pickford's, and its not difficult at all to see why she was considered "America's Sweetheart". She's a delight - sweet and lovable, but not at all syrupy or coy, with one of the most charming smiles imaginable.

This 1918 comedy holds up rather well, with the necessary allowances for changing times and mores. Mary's a working-class Irish girl with a washer-woman ma and 5 rambunctious younger brothers. She's been seeing her equally working-class bartender boyfriend for 3 years, without even a kiss (like I said, she must have had a lot of charm to manage that!), but gets involved with dashing upper-crust sculptor Norman Kerry (who's handsome even to modern eyes). No surprises, it all ends well, but there are many cute and charming moments along the way, and the film flows together quite nicely given its age.

What a darling angelic screen presence Mary Pickford was!! And today, almost a century later, she still shines as bright. Our Mary manages to be both a spitfire and a angel in a way no other actress from any era could match (and indeed, in this crude era with talentless, tacky starlets you won't be seeing any Mary Pickford types back on the screen anytime soon.) AMARILLY is one of the best of the two dozen or so Pickford films I have seen - she has a wonderful star "entrance" in the film where an unseen woman is cleaning a window - as she wipes it clean we see through the glass plate it's our girl MP. I've always considered Mary Pickford the best comedienne of the silent screen and this little gem had me laughing like it was a Chaplin or Keaton film. Mary was arguably the very first romantic comedy movie star - love is the theme of many of her movies and this movie is no exception, one of her most charming romance films. The print is quite nice though a few scenes are sadly imperfect. As a wonderful bonus, the video includes one of Mary's early one-reelers, 1911's "THE DREAM" in which Mary plays the wife of a cheating drunkard who in one drunken sleep imagines the tables turned (with our Little Mary smoking and knocking down booze!!). This little short is as good as the feature!

In 1918, Mary Pickford was still "America's Sweetheart" and the most popular actress on the big screen. Since 1909, the actress was known for her dedication to her work and a decade later, by the time she began working on "Amarilly of Clothes-Line Alley" she had 220 films under her belt.

"Amarilly of Clothes-Line Alley" revolves around Pickford's character Amarilly Jenkins, the eldest daughter of an Irish family who lives in the lower-class Clothes-Line Alley where her mother (played by Kate Price) raises her and her four brothers alone and tries to make ends meet with her laundry business.

Amarilly is a street smart young woman who is dating Terry McGowen (played by William Scott) and the two have been dating for three years. But within those three years, they still have not kissed and Terry is still waiting for that day when his beloved will finally kiss him.

The two are happily in love but when a fire breaks out at Amarilly's job, she is blamed for the fire and is fired immediately from her job. Now jobless, Amarilly worries about the family income but fortunately her boyfriend Terry has come to the rescue and gets her a job selling cigarette at the local club.

On the first night at the job, Amarilly meets the dashing and very rich Gordon Phillips (played by Norman Kerry), the son of the well-respected Mrs. David Phillips (played by Ida Waterman). Terry is a bit jealous of the rich Gordon talking to his girlfriend but he tries to be cool with it.

Meanwhile, the biggest snitch of Clothes-Line Alley, "Snitch" McCarthy (played by Tom Wilson) is looking to cause some trouble and tells a group of guys that Gordon and his friends are trying to pickup on their women and a fight breaks out at the club.

With chaos taking place at the club, a beaten up Gordon stumbles out of the club and Amarilly goes to help him. She takes him to her home where she and her mother can help heal him but right there watching is "Snitch" McCarthy who begins telling people that Amarilly has cozied up with the rich Gordon Phillips. To make things worse, Terry goes to visit Amarilly and finds Gordon at her place being taken care of her and Amarilly's mother and thinking maybe the two are together. Terry, who is jealous, bolts and leaves.

Grateful for the help that Amarilly and her mother has done for him, he offers Amarilly a job to clean his art studio and also for his mother to do his laundry and needless to say, both Amarilly and her mother are grateful. But not so grateful is her boyfriend Terry who is now hearing rumors throughout Clothes-Line Alley of Amarilly now being together with Gordon. Jealous and confused and without letting Amarilly give an explanation of why Gordon was at her place, he breaks up with her.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Phillips and her female members of the "The Society of the Betterment of Humanity" are meeting and want to work on an experiment. What if they can take someone young and poor and try to make her into a debutante. With Scarlet Fever breaking out in Clothes-Line Alley and the area being quarantined, Gordon offers her to stay at his mother's place and immediately Mrs. Phillips and the women have chosen Amarilly to be their test example.

Will Amarilly last at the Phillips home? Can she be a debutante? And what about her ex-boyfriend Terry? Will he ever come to his senses?

For the 10-minute short "The Dream" which is included as a special feature, Mary Pickford plays the part of a loving wife whose husband is having an affair and doing his own thing when he's gone. Mary's character cooks for him but the man comes home just to be difficult and mean to his wife, throwing the chair around and treating her wrong.

But then we see a transformation of Mary Pickford's character, from the loving wife to the trash-talking, smoking and rude and crude woman as she destroys the home and laughs in her husband's face and leaves him for a rich man.

The husband has realized that had mistreated his wife, now her husband wants to get her back.

VIDEO:

"Amarilly of Clothes-Line Alley - The Milestone Collection" is presented in 4:3 and is presented in B&W and color tinted while the short "The Dream" is presented in B&W. Because this is an older DVD release, most DVD's at the time were known for its combing and in this case, you can see some combing if you are watching and pausing on a smaller monitor or a computer. But I didn't notice the combing watching it on my larger television.

Quality-wise, "Amarilly of Clothes-Line Alley" looks good for a film that is 92-years-old. Granted, not sure how much more detail would be evident through a new remaster using modern DVD technology in 2010 vs. what was used to restore teh film back in 2009 but overall, it looks good for an older film. You do see occasional scratches and dust but it does not hurt the film or prevent your enjoyment of it.

Surprisingly, the much older 1911 short film "The Dream" which is 99-years-old looks fantastic. Granted, the film has its share of dust and scratches but the blacks are nice and deep and the contrast is very good for a film this old. I was quite happy to see this film included on this DVD.

AUDIO & INTERTITLES:

"Amarilly of Clothes-Line Alley - The Milestone Collection" features a chamber score by Mont Alto Orchestra. The chamber score works really well for the film and the piano performance by Marco Antonio De Almeida (based on music by Ernesto Nazareth) for "The Dream" is niceley done.

The Intertitles for "Amarilly of Clothes-Line Alley" is easy to read, while "The Dream" does have its intertitle breaks but with very little verbage as the story is self-explanatory.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"Amarilly of Clothes-Line Alley - The Milestone Collection" comes with the 1911 film "The Dream" (restored and was recently found back in 1999).

JUDGMENT CALL:

As a silent film fan and having a good amount of silent films in my collection, I've come to the point in my life where I really want to see more Mary Pickford films but unfortunately, not many are available on DVD and if they are, some companies have done a terrible job by reusing music and thus the music doesn't match up with the film.

But one thing people can count on is quality releases from Milestone Film & Video and with their collaboration with Image Entertainment, there have been less than a dozen solid Mary Pickford releases on DVD and I'm quite grateful to that these have been released and hopefully within my lifetime, I will be able to see more.

But when it comes to Mary Pickford films, I found "Amarilly of Clothes-Line Alley" to be another entertaining film and as usual with Pickford films, her characters are typically of the lower-class and I would imagine during the teens, these films reached out to many viewers who were not rich and for some, Mary Pickford characters were almost heroic in nature as she was always a person who had streetsmarts or really took the initiative in getting something done. In this film, Amarilly works hard for her family, she definitely has street smarts, but also has a kind and loving heart to her family and also her boyfriend Terry.

There are some parts of the plot that probably could have been trimmed from the movie. Typically scenes that dealt with her four younger brothers as we see in one scene, her brother getting in a fight with another. The brothers are rather insignificant to the actual plot but out of nowhere, we do have scene of one of the brothers fighting with another boy and perhaps the film was experimenting on action as there we do get a brawl earlier in the film.

But if anything, the melodramatic film shows her versatility as she was playing many roles of a younger teenager or girl but once in awhile we are able to see roles where she plays a woman in love.

But I also found the IMP short "The Dream" to be quite intriguing because the film was written by Mary Pickford and feature and her husband Owen Moore, a film created the same year the two were secretly married to each other. And a film that probably foreshadowed the couple's doomed marriage.

But as simple as the short film was, what makes it work is Mary Pickford's performance. From the loving wife to the transformation to a rude and crude woman, Pickford was quite charming to watch in this film and a wonderful inclusion to this DVD.

Overall, "Amarilly of Clothes-Line Alley - The Milestone Collection" is a solid release for a Pickford film. It may not be her best film but it was entertaining and the fact that you do get the 1911 short makes this DVD release well worth it. And considering that there aren't many Mary Pickford films available on DVD, I'm just grateful to The Milestone Collection for releasing this DVD and hopefully we will see more Pickford releases in the near future.

Affectionately dubbed America's Sweetheart, Mary Pickford was one of the most influential and beloved of that small group of film pioneers who helped motion pictures mature from a technical marvel into an art form. It is difficult in today's climate of instant media access for us to fully grasp just how popular Pickford was in her day.

Embraced by virtually the entire world, every twenty-four hours 12.5 million people reportedly went to see her at the flickers. She perfected her craft in an era of film when very few people actually saw her natural acting style for the hard work and genius it was. George Cukor often referred to her as the first method actor. She is simply wonderful in Amarilly of Clothes-line Alley and her glowing performance offers fans a glimpse of her charm.

Director Marshall Neilan crafted this funny yet telling look at love and life on differing social levels from a book by Belle K. Maniates adapted by Frances Marion, another pioneer of silent film. Beautifully photographed by Walter Stradling, this silent from 1917 was sophisticated and brilliant for its time. Even today, the underlying message and story seem fresh despite its age. Pickford displays a natural acting style much more subtle than the histrionic gesturing so common at the time. She had worked hard to develop her craft, and it gives her performance a timeless appeal. Marshall Neilan's film derives much of its charm, in fact, from her performance.

Amarilly lives with her mother (Kate Price) and young brothers in a pverty-stricken neighborhood. She is a sweet girl with a steady beau of three years named Terry (William Scott) who is still trying to get that first kiss from his sweetheart. One scene which has Pickford about to let him have that kiss, then teasing him when her brothers prevent it, is quite endearing, borne of another, more innocent time in America, and the world.

Having lost her cleaning job at the local theatre, Terry helps her get on at the cafe where he works. Bringing home a customer in need of mending after a brawl, Amarilly is taken into his his home as an employee. Despite being high abover her on the social ladder, Gordon Phillips (Norman Kerry) falls hard for her. Neighborhood gossip crushes Terry, but Amarilly learns at tea that high and low society are not a good mix. Terry will spend fifty scents on violets for Amarilly he would not waste fifteen for earlier, because he has now learned her value. Amarilly remembers her old romance, realizing what a mistake it was to leave Clothes-line Alley. But will there be a tragic price to pay for this lesson?

Realitstic and sophisticated in its acting and story, this is no Cinderella tale. Instead, Amarilly will discover where she truly belongs, both in life and love. Sweet and capped by a terrific ending I won't spoil, this is one of Pickford's finest moments, her performance ahead of its time. Silent film fans who haven't caught this one will be pleased to discover a film of this caliber. is very stylish and was decades ahead of its time. The same can be said of Mary Pickford's performance here. Music from the Mont Alto Orchestra fits perfectly and is quite unobtrusive in this Milestone release. An adorable performance from America's Sweetheart and lovely look at a bygone era in film.

Amarilly of Clothes Line-Alley takes place in San Francisco. Amarilly Jenkins (Mary Pickford) comes from a long line of blue collar workers who don't have much money--ever. Her mother, Mrs. Jenkins, does the clothes washing for anyone who can pay for it as she scrambles to get enough business to make a living for her family. Amarilly pitches in, too, trying to get more work for herself and her family and enjoying her romance with Terry the bartender (William Scott).

One day the theater where Mary cleans burns in a horrible fire; and Terry gets Amarilly a much needed replacement job in a much fancier club. It is here that Amarilly meets Gordon, a very wealthy young artist. Gordon notices Amarilly and even offers $150 for the chance to kiss her in a playful bidding match! Amarilly is struck by Gordon's sophistication, good looks and money--but Gordon's stuffy old aunt may spell trouble when she coldly decides to "experiment" with Amarilly when she teaches her about "the better things in life" for Amarilly's "psychological" benefit.

Will Amarilly remain in love with Gordon, who falls in love with her because of the person she truly is? Will Amarilly instead return to Terry and her life in Clothes-Line Alley? What might happen if Gordon's aunt and Amarilly's mother met each other at a social gathering? I'm sorry, folks; you'll just have to watch it for yourself to find out!

Look also for a fine performance by Kate Price as Amarilly's mother who does indeed have an infectious laugh that you can hear even though this is a silent film; and both William Scott and Norman Kerry turn in great performances as Terry the bartender and the young wealthy artist Gordon Phillips.

The quality of the image is excellent; the restoration process worked wonders! The choreography shines best in crowd scenes including the scene in the posh club in which Gordon pays $150 for the privilege of giving Amarilly a kiss. The cinematography shows good judgment as the camera picks up everything it needs to in order to help tell the story well.

Amarilly of Clothes-Line Alley is an excellent Mary Pickford film; she deserves to be remembered much, much more than she is remembered. Mary Pickford pours her heart and soul out to give a terrific portrayal of Amarilly Jenkins.

The DVD offers only one extra which is a short film entitled The Dream. This film depicts the plight of an unhappily married couple; and when one of them has a dream that dream just may have an effect on the marriage.

I highly recommend this film for silent film fans and people who enjoy Mary Pickford's wonderful work will be delighted with this film.

Great job, everyone--and thank you forever and ever, Mary Pickford!!!

kevin brownlow,silent movie historian and critic,labelled this movie as a marvel of delight.one simply is astonished by this film.the vigor and verve,the pulse of life,the pathos and comedy of events in simple lives seems caught on the wing.there is not just narrative beauty but beauty of filmic form and image and unselfconscious camera movement which would be a marvel today,albeit 1918 is the unbelievable date of this movie.pickford's performance could not be improved upon.the dvd quality is better than average.strongly recommended.

This Milestone selection is the way I lke to see a silent film presented. It appears all original titles(I hate to see titles and/or intertitles redone)are present. Overall pleasing to watch. The Dream is also good with original intertitles present(title and end card have been added).

This film might not be exactly at the same level as something like 'Tess of the Storm Country' or 'Sparrows,' but it is a really fun movie, with all of the usual cuteness and charm in many of Mary's movies. It does start out a little bit slow (this was after all 1918, when most movies weren't quite yet at the same level they were even a few years later, when the silent drama began getting more complex and mature), but once the plot does become established and we really get to know the characters, it starts rolling along very smoothly, really drawing the viewer in. This movie doesn't even really seem all that dated; sure the settings may be different today, far from the world of 1918 with its rigidly-defined social classes, the tenement in San Francisco where Amarilly lives with her mother and five younger brothers, and the wealthy people like Mrs. Phillips and her nephew Gordon (the handsome Norman Kerry) in their posh fancy mansions and lavish parties and social events, but overall the theme has stayed the same. Many upper-class people still unfairly judge the proletariat and the poor, feeling them to be inferior or deserving of being publicly humiliated, the way Mrs. Phillips does to Amarilly's mother and brothers in an attempt to nip Gordon and Amarilly's romance in the bud. People are still debating if heredity or environment is the deciding factor in one's intelligence and character. There's still a huge gulf between the haves and have-nots, with people like the Phillipses who only feel that the have-nots are worthy of their attention, respect, and love if they become "educated" and leave their people and roots behind so they can become one of them. Ultimately Amarilly has to choose between Gordon, who might be handsome and able to offer her a better life but places conditions on the continuation of their romance, and her boyfriend of three years, Terry, who might not be as handsome as Gordon and not have as much to offer but who has a more sincere heart and loves Amarilly just the way she is.

There's also a nothing one-reeler from 1911, 'The Dream,' made by the IMP Company. This isn't a terribly memorable film; while it's not horrible, it's also not one of the greatest one-reelers from the early Teens I've seen. Of the few films Mary made with the IMP which are still known to survive, none of them are widely considered to be among her best work. The studio itself also wasn't nearly at the same professional or quality level as the likes of MGM or even Biograph. Mary herself was also never really satisfied with this studio or the work she did there, and when she was trying to leave the company brrought up evidence such as being forced to have a darkroom boy, not a professional actor, as her leading man.

Overall, this is a thoroughly worthwhile disc, even though it might not be up at the same level as some of Mary's more classic pictures. It's solid cute fun entertainment from the late Teens, the era when feature films were really starting to come into their own and become more mature and complex.