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Customer Reviews of Tess of the Storm Country

A compelling story
This is a really compelling drama, and a film that easily would have been in the running for at least one Academy had the awards existed in 1922. The basic outline of the story is that Elias Graves, an unfeeling capitalist, is trying to drive away the poor squatters living at the bottom of his hill. He lives in a lovely mansion with his two children (his wife is deceased) while they live in poverty and in shacks. This part of the plot is a compelling portrayal of the eternal class struggle and the exploitation of the poor and working-classes by the rich. Mary Pickford's character, Tess, has caught the eye of a number of the young men living in her neighborhood at the bottom of the hill, although she doesn't care for any of them. By far the most aggressive suitor is Ben Letts, who isn't a very nice guy, to say the very least. Ben eventually frames Tess's father for the murder of Teola Graves's fiancé Daniel. This not only devastates Tess, who maintains her father's innocence all during his incarceration and trial, but also Teola. Not only has Teola lost the man she loves, but she had also recently told Daniel that he had gotten her into trouble and they would have to be married sooner than planned. (Many modern audiences today, particularly the younger generation, wouldn't realise that that meant Teola was pregnant.) Mr. Graves himself has been out of town while these things have been going on, so this buys Teola some time. Meanwhile Tess and Frederick, Teola's brother, have developed feelings for one another, but a romance seems out of the question since they come from different classes. Trouble develops when Fred comes home from college and sees his sister and Tess together, with the baby who has since been born. He believes it is Tess's illegitimate child, and feels lied to and betrayed. He now believes she is an immoral woman. Things get even more complicated when Mr. Graves comes back to town. All in all, this is the stuff of compelling drama. (It would have been a nice treat if the original 1914 version of this story Mary did had been included as an extra, particularly since her leading man in that version was Harold Lockwood, and that is one of the few surviving films of this extremely popular but today all but forgotten actor.) <
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>To many people in the modern audience, however, pivotal parts of the story may now seem dated. People today are so used to people having children without being married that it seems like a completely different world where it was actually a disgrace and a scandal to get caught in the family way, and then worse yet to have the child's father die before a wedding could occur. This movie never even uses the word "pregnant," and it does sort of suspend the modern person's sense of disbelief that Teola is never shown to actually be pregnant. She looks exactly the same at the beginning of the story as she does when Tess finds her about to about to take her own life and saves her, taking her back to her house so she can give birth. It's hard to believe that people once thought it was disgusting and improper to show a pregnant woman on the screen. I also found the story to be a little preachy in spots, with some rather heavy-handed Christocentric messages. <
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>There's also the issue of the quality of the print. Obviously some of the frames are not in a very good state, but it seems clear that that is the result of disintegration of the film stock, not a blurry print that wasn't given a better digital remastering. People who complain too much about the quality of the print often miss the bigger picture, and it's not as though we should expect every single silent film to be as crystal-clear and beautifully preserved as 'Cobra' or 'The Garden of Eden.' Isn't it better this film still exists and is in pretty good overall condition than to have it lost or so far along in its disintegration that nothing can be done to save it?

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If You Don't Like This You Don't Like Pickford
This movie might subtly endorse bad hygiene, but I have to get over that. This is a must if you have seen other Pickford movies and liked them. If you haven't, it is still recommended as a beginning point. <
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>Tess is the quintessential Pickford spitfire - a beautiful but dirty, intelligent but uneducated hellion. None of her emotions seem genuine; even in the serious parts of the movie she is emotionally detached from the story. That isn't a bad thing; how can one take such an implausible story seriously? Mary Pickford wasted her talent and most of her career on dated melodramas that are barely watchable today, but movies like these are gems. <
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>Just consider one scene where she is seen peering through the bars of the rich antagonist's front gate, making monkey faces at him. And when she is asked how she got a hold of the bible that she moralizes from, she replies "I cribbed it from the church." [SPOILER] There is a fight scene where she is the damsel, but not a distressed one - she eggs the fight on, and when the hero begins to lose to the villain she gets impatient and smashes a chair over the villain's head. End of that. <
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>The movie is far from perfect -- the characters are archetypal and the plot is too dramatic to happen in real life -- but the real reason to watch this is to see Pickford herself. Her personality, energetic disposition, and remarkably photogenic face carry this and nearly every other movie she's in. The plot and other characters are just a means to provide her with a showcase. If you don't like this movie -- and it's fair if you don't -- you won't like any Mary Pickford movies and I can't recommend them to you, either. <
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Beautiful
I was apprehensive when I first started watching this movie. I am usually not a big fan of 'heartwarming stories' with poor girls who prove their worth, but I wanted to see the movie Mary thought important enough to re-make. <
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>This is an amazing film! <
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>Although some of it has been damaged over time, like a blurry scene in the beginning that seems clouded over with water damage where Tess dances around, it is easy to understand and engaging. Mary Pickford handles the inspirational cliché plot with seriousness that allows many audiences to relate. <
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>I definitely recommend this movie. Even if you aren't a fan of silent movies, Mary will grab your attention and you'll find it hard to look away.