Through the Back Door (1921)
(Alfred E. Green, Jack Pickford, US 1921, 89 min., 35mm)
United Artists Centennial | Silent Film. Twenty-eight-year-old Mary Pickford plays fifteen-year-old Jeanne, left behind in Belgium by her mother, whose second husband takes her to America. Over the next five years, Jeanne develops a close relationship with her nurse, Marie, but at the outbreak of World War I Marie is concerned for Jeanne’s safety and sends her to find her mother in New York. Fearful of revealing her true identity, Jeanne takes a position as her mother’s maid, hoping to learn more about her. Allegiances are tested and secrets revealed when Jeanne’s stepfather is targeted by greedy houseguests. Mary Pickford’s brother Jack assisted in filming for his first of two directing credits. Live piano by Philip C. Carli.