Mary Pickford's Oscar Winning Performance in Coquette (1929) Clip 3

Silent film star Mary Pickford was unparalleled in her popularity for 20 years. When sound film (talkies) arrived she jumped right in, making her first talkie "Coquette" in early 1929. She won the Academy Award that year for best actress, with many claiming she didn't deserve it...that it was more a 'lifetime achievement award' than anything.

While Pickford quite surely yielded her influence to win the award that doesn't mean her performance was unworthy. Coquette is a stunning early talkie film, using camera movements and natural acting that most filmmakers would not achieve for many years. You must remember that during this time the technology was so sensitive that jewelery or walking could upset the mics. With this in mind Mary's performance and knowledge as a producer is all the more impressive.

These scenes are a bit spoileriffic, but considering Coquette has been unseen for many years it is my honor to upload some of her best scenes. In this scene Norma (Mary Pickford) has decided to lie on the witness stand to save her guilty father's life (he has killed her innocent lover). This is some of the finest acting ever committed to film.

For more of her wonderful talkie acting and Coquette clips see the rest of my vids. For more information on this film please see: http://www.forgetthetalkies.com/2009/10/underrated-coquette.html

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Coquette
• Academy Award
• Oscar
• 1929
• Mary Pickford
• Best Actress
• Talkies
• Silent film
• forget the talkies

[ClareBElsey]

Thumbs up if you just wanted to give Mary Pickford a hug.... =(

[DDemize]

Damn even I was ready to get up an deck that lawyer. One hell of a performance!

[dplomin1954]

I agree. Mary did a GREAT job with this early talkie. I KNOW that acting styles have changed, but even with today's standards, she doesn't fall too far behind the soaps or any of the CSI dramas, in regards to the courtroom scenes, which seem to have followed the same pattern since 1929! New clothes, same crimes...

[siempremarisol]

she was the greatest movie star of all

[outinsider]

You can tell that her character is beside herself in the forced lie she has to tell in order to save her father, even though he killed her lover. What an amazing performance, Pickford's first "talkie". She deserved that Academy Award. Back when movies themselves weren't far from seeing a play.

[sneezepal]

Wow; I'd read about this film & how stiff the acting in it was. It doesn't seem so bad. Mary's acting is fine; she had extensive stage experience & it shows here. Still, sound took away much of Mary's mystique. Silent films were better for her & she knew it. She quit films not long after this, at just the right time.

[mandydancerful]

Whoa,that was great,I don't know who the other nominees for the Oscar was, but that was a dynamic performance!