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A Masterpiece!

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

'Daddy Long Legs' is two tales woven together - half orphanage, half love story. A pretty orphaned girl (Mary Pickford) suddenly has a college education paid for by an unknown man. Here she falls in love with an older man, who must appeal to the parent-less girl as both a potential husband and father figure.After beginning with an almighty ten minute slog that feels like more title-cards than images, the orphanage scenes really shine, as a poor Mary along with the other kids get up to all sorts of mischief, and turn the establishment which is compared to a prison into a joyful childhood ride. Unfortunately the adults don't receive much character development here - all are shown to be harsh and humourless, and are clearly shown this way in order to evoke our sympathies for Mary. This half of the film manages to make you sad, make you smile, make you detest, make you love and consider things from multiple points of view.When Mary leaves the orphanage to college it is initially a breath of fresh air, an unexpected departure from the harrowing set up, though the progression of the love story and the twist at the end are entirely predictable, and it slowly loses tension. It almost feels that the second male character introduced to compete for the heart of Mary is done so purely to try and provide some extra drama, for it is a plot point that runs exactly nowhere. This is true of most characters in the film, who are there just to evoke certain sympathies, with no real development, and a few loose ends. This half of the film however does feature some superb outdoor photography.

At one point in the film, "Daddy-Long-Legs", Judy Abbott writes the story of her life at the orphanage, which we had previously seen. Mary Pickford's increased control over her vehicles in return increased the power of screenwriters. Frances Marion had launched Pickford to stardom by adapting "The Poor Little Rich Girl" and other works--establishing Pickford's typical role as a child--but Marion is absent on this one. Yet, although "Daddy-Long-Legs", is authored by others, it doesn't stray from Marion's formula during the first part: a sympathetic predicament for the child, offset by comedic set pieces. It entertains while holding the audience's emotions. This film is full of intertitles, as well. Ferdinand Earle's "art titles" occur more often during the introductory scenes than do moving pictures (it seems fades do, too). The entire story is largely told this way, and it indicates the important role of the screenwriter.There's no surprise here. If you're familiar with Pickford's films, you know what you're going to get, and "Daddy-Long-Legs" gives you just that. There is the college years afterward, but that's in the same spirit. The transformation from adolescent to college student is convincing enough. The entire movie is episodic. The pacing is appropriately brisk. And, the girl with the golden curls does her usual thing.Hollywood movies were looking great by this time, and "Daddy-Long-Legs" reflects that. There are plenty of iris shots, including a masking wipe that acts as a curtain after a performance of "Romeo and Juliet". The film is amply lit and tinted. There are silhouettes and dark photography aided by blue tinting--so we may still see Mary. And, the camera gets close. The film shows the common look and technique of 1919 Hollywood pictures. On the other hand, not much has changed since Maurice Tourneur directed Pickford in "The Poor Little Rich Girl" two years afore. They still use large sets to make her appear even shorter while portraying an adolescent. There was much gloss to it, as well. Most of all, it's still passable, light entertainment.

Another terrific Mary Pickford performance and film. Daddy-Long-Legs is a familiar story, but the Pickford version accentuates the comedy and leaves the sappy romance to the horrid 50s version with Astaire and Caron. Sweet and innocent, this film has several memorable comic moments, including Mary getting drunk with a fellow orphan (Wesley Barry?) and leaving the jug for a dog. Very funny. A little tipsy, Mary also slides down banisters and accidentally knocks "Stink Weed" down a well. Oops! This film is a little unusual for a Pickford picture since it allows Mary to grow up. She gets to go to college and be wooed by her roommate's uncle (Mahlon Hamilton). She's also pursued by Jimmie (Marshall Neilan, who also directed the film). Milla Davenport is the orphanage director and Fay Lemport is the nasty Angelina.Nice comedic touches throughout to keep it all light and entertaining. The version I saw was clean, had beautiful title cards, and good (new) score my Maria Newman. All very impressive for a 1919 film. This film seems miles away from Pickford's 1917 Pride of the Clan, but she had been in over 200 films by the time she made this! Pickford was one of the greats, a true giant in Hollywood, and it's too bad she's so forgotten now. I've never seen a Pickford film I didn't like.

A wonderful and multi-faceted performance by Mary Pickford turns a pleasant but somewhat routine story into a fine film that is very enjoyable to watch. The story gives her a chance to use a lot of different talents, and whenever she is on-screen, which is most of the time, there is something worth seeing.Pickford is equally charming (it seems impossible to write about a Pickford film without using that word) and equally believable as a young orphan and as a college girl. And she is equally good at creating laughs, expressing feelings, and evoking sympathy - often all at the same time, especially in the orphanage scenes, which have some of this film's best material. There is some excellent comedy that keeps the story from becoming overly cute or sentimental, and she makes the most of all of it.They put some real work into the title cards for this one, filling them with some good art work and also using them at times for some well-chosen commentary. A couple of the other cast members are pretty good, too, although it is definitely Pickford that makes this so worthwhile.This is an engaging little gem from the silent era, and a great example of what it was that made "America's Sweetheart" so popular.