Product Details

• Actors: Mary Pickford, Johnny Mack Brown, Matt Moore, John St. Polis, William Janney
• Directors: Sam Taylor
• Writers: Sam Taylor, Allen McNeil, Ann Preston Bridgers, George Abbott, John Grey
• Producers: Mary Pickford, Sam Taylor
• Format: Black & White, Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: Unrated
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: MGM (Warner)
• VHS Release Date: December 21, 1994
• Run Time: 76 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302658500
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #176,790 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Mary Pickford won an Academy Award for her performance in Coquette, her first "talking picture." Billed as "a drama of the American South," the movie features Pickford as a classic Southern belle. However, as the film takes place during the Jazz Age of the 1920s, not the antebellum South, Pickford's version of Scarlett O'Hara is a flapper. (The party scenes with dancers wildly doing the "black bottom" are a hoot.) To play socialite Norma Besant, Pickford had her famous golden curls bobbed, and she "flits about from one fella to another like a butterfly." But Pickford's fans would never have permitted her to portray a real Jezebel, so as soon as the plot gets underway, her character quickly falls head over heels in love with just one man. ("Of course, I never wanted to play a role that would ever offend the little girls who love me," declared Pickford in a 1917 Motion Picture Classic interview.) Coquette's story eventually turns quite tragic, pitting daughter against father and giving Pickford the chance to act up a storm.

Pickford had experience on stage before appearing in moving pictures, so her progression to sound films was not as awkward as that of some silent-movie performers. Throughout her silent-film career, she made a point of keeping her acting real and free of extravagant gestures. "I always had in mind the fact that I might want to become a real actress, and so never allowed myself to indulge in more gestures than if I had a speaking part." (San Francisco Chronicle, 1913.) Still, Coquette is unmistakably an early talkie and the acting is clearly transitional. At times the actors instinctively pause and pose before speaking their lines, an acting style that would quickly disappear as silent pictures almost immediately went out of favor with audiences. --Laura Mirsky

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nothing Flirty About This Film, August 1, 2004

By 

Alex Udvary (chicago, il United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Coquette [VHS] (VHS Tape)

How odd it is that this movie is directed by Sam Taylor. Who knew he'd be able to direct a drama of this manner? Every film I've seen by him has been a comedy. He directed Harold Lloyd in "Safety Last" & "Hot Water" and Laurel & Hardy in "Nothing But Trouble". And now here he is directing "America's Sweetheart" Mary Pickford (Pollyanna).

Now given the fact that a majority of people I'm willing to bet are not entirely familiar with Pickford this is such a rare movie to find that I'm sure if you've heard of this movie you must know who she is, so there's no need to inform you about her life.

Pickford plays a coquette named Norma who says she loves Michael Jeffery (John Mack Brown) but still, for awhile, flirts with Stanley (Matt Moore). But sadly for Norma and Michael, Michael is not in the same social rank, and her father would never permit his daughter to marry him let alone see him ever again (sounds pretty original doesn't it lol).

"Coquette" was Pickford's first "talkie" and despite what some may say I think she does a pretty good job. She seems comfortable, though I'm sure everyone on the set was a bit neverous, she still seems to pull off her role. She does make the mistake most actors\actresses have made in early "talkies" where they feel if they scream they are projecting strong emotions. Sort of the way singers scream and the audience goes into a frenzy.

"Coquette" has some real great moments in the middle and throughout. Pickford and cast are really laying it on. And while I bet a lot of people think the scenes may be campy, first of all lets remember one big factor here. It's 1929! What were you expecting? Personally I didn't find the movie campy but sincere. The film's last two major scenes are done quite well and the final scene is a bit of a heartbreaker.

Pickford is going to be the reason a lot of people would chose to see this movie. First of all because it's her first "talkie" and because she won an Academy Award for her role. But, while Pickford is good I thought Matt Moore as Stanley was the most effective actor in the movie. Where Pickford screams he remains silent. And his silence speaks volumes more then her screaming. His restraint is a plus. What happened to him after this movie?

Now if Pickford and Moore are the best than William Janney as Pickford's brother Jimmy is the worst. He hams it up. And has some of the film's worst dialogue. I wonder if it was done on purpose?

Mary Pickford once said "I never liked one of my pictures in its entirety." what a shame. Because "Coquette" really is a knockout. It's one of those great sappy melodramas that were coming out of Hollywood in the 30's, films such as "The Champ", "Possessed" (1931 version), and "Paid" (sadly not available on vhs or dvd).

Bottom-line: Very effective Mary Pickford vehicle that won her an Oscar. Has plenty of great melodramatic moments near the end and some strong performances (Pickford, Moore). Fans of B&W Hollywood movies and filmbuffs should enjoy.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pickford's hybrid talkie., October 5, 2004

By 

Astrid Morgan (Lilydale, Victoria Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Coquette [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Despite the reviews this film has had and continues to have by reviewers who refuse to see it for what it is, Mary Pickford's first talkie, Coquette, is an engaging film. It should not be compared to the silents Pickford made when she was at her peak, as it is a distinctly different style of film. It was made at a time when Pickford's career was beginning to fade and should be viewed as a fading star's attempt to stay in competition with younger starlets.
Pickford's film is of course a hybrid and often when people cannot categorise a film, it is criticised. It does suffer in comparison to Pickford's glorious silents and other films made at the heights of the sound era because it is not a skillful example of either.
Coquette needs to be recognised as an experiment. People who were adept at making silent films were experimenting with sound. As a direct result, you will notice actors remaing where there is an unseen microphone or the diction will not be crystal clear but this is not a failing. It is indicative of a film made using early sound technology.
Pickford herself, glows. She speaks with a charming voice. The actor who does not come off as well is Johnny Mack Brown, whose high voice tends to drone and thus sounds very odd. The costumes and sets are pleasing to the eye and generally the acting is appropriate for the vehicle. Pickford's acting has a tendency to be melodramatic at times but again, this is the result of a lifetime of acting in silent film, not withstanding her early stage experience.
My recommendation is that if you are a Pickford fan, you should watch Coquette for interest without being intent on noticing its failings but observe its idiosyncracies within its time and purpose.
No doubt had Pickford had time to refine her acting in talkies, she would have emerged as a skilled actress for this new medium. Unfortunately, she did not have time at her disposal as her fans were passing her by. Coquette, therefore is an experiment at producing a sound film in a period where every person in the film industry had developed their skills in silent films. The silent film industry would soon be obsolete and Mary Pickford is to be praised for her foresight in venturing to make a sound film when many silent stars were clinging desperately to the silent medium.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mary Pickford earned Her 1929 Best Actress Oscar, July 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Coquette [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Mary Pickford is excellent in this movie and well-deserved her Academy Award. It is admittedly a stiff early talkie but Miss Pickford is such a natural actress she overcomes these problems and gives a fine performance as a smalltown flirt whose life is turned upside down by her possessive father. The story is melodramatic but seems very much of the type that Tennessee Williams later wrote to much acclaim on Broadway. You may quibble about the late 30's Pickford playing an ingenue but she looks youthful and has several stunning dramatic moments, made all the more notable by the fact that just a year or two before the public at large thought of her as a little girl.