Tess of the Storm Country (1922 film)
| Tess of the Storm Country | |
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Film poster
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| Directed by | John S. Robertson |
| Produced by | Mary Pickford |
| Written by | Elmer Harris |
| Starring |
Mary Pickford Lloyd Hughes |
| Cinematography | Paul Eagler Charles Rosher Sr. |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
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Release date
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Running time
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118 min |
| Country | United States |
| Language |
Silent English intertitles |
Tess of the Storm Country is a 1922 melodrama starring Mary Pickford, directed by John S. Robertson, and based upon a Grace Miller White novel. It is a remake of Pickford's film from eight years prior and was subsequently remade a decade later as a sound version starring Janet Gaynor.
Leading actress Pickford's previous film Little Lord Fauntleroy flopped critically. Pickford realized she had to make a movie the audience loved to see her in. She wanted to play the role again, because she loved the character and stated the crew had more abilities with a bigger budget and better technology.
17-year-old Tess Skinner is the daughter of a squatter, and wealthy man Elias Graves, who owns the land, is trying to get rid of them and the other squatter families. Tess is just as determined to make sure they all stay. Elias, however, grows more stubborn with failure. His determination to disperse the squatters has become an obsession. He is determined to kick them out of his land, not caring they don't have another place to go to. Graves' son, Frederick, is on her side and doesn't think about squatters the way his father does. Frederick's sister Teola fears her father, who thinks obedience is more important than love. She has fallen in love with law student Dan Jordan, but he hasn't been able to impress Elias.
Dan tries to win over Teola's father's trust in him by suggesting he can throw the squatters off his land, because they are catching fish illegally. Frederick, meanwhile, is charmed by Tess and admits he could really fall for her if she would get cleaned up. When men come to the Skinner residence to find proof they're netting, Tess hides the evidence her father is a fisherman. Later, they become hungry and Tess' father decides to start fishing again. He is caught and when Dan Jordan is shot to death, Tess' dad is blamed for it and taken under arrest. Tess is crushed and takes it out on Elias when he announces he will do anything for her dad to pay the penalty. When the trial starts, Tess is crushed she isn't allowed to visit her father. The evil Ben Letts forces himself up to her as her future husband, despite the fact Tess is unwilling to marry him. She chases him away, but Ben vows vengeance.
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