"Secrets" released in 1933, stars Mary Pickford and Leslie Howard as two people who meet and marry and spend over 50 years together. Mary Pickford was 40 when she made this film, but she looks great -- although certainly her playing a young New England girl at the beginning is a little tough to believe. Mary's parents do not consider John (Leslie Howard) a good match for her, so she elopes with him, and the two move to a rugged California ranch. Oddly, there is never any mention of her parents nor do they appear again in the film. Together, they tame the western front, fight cattle ranchers, and lose an infant son. Then the picture just suddenly shifts to many years later, and John is running for Governor of California, and they have children who are now young adults. John's future could be jeopardized because of his infidelities (hence the title "Secrets). This film, while not bad, is full of holes and unfinished business. The script jumps around a bit, and it is never fully explained how the couple managed to go from living in a modest ranch (almost resembling a log cabin) to living in wealth and luxury. But the best part of the picture is Mary herself. Pickford delivers a fine performance, as does Leslie Howard -- although listening to Howard and his upper-class British accent while playing a wild west cowboy was a bit much to take. Mary Pickford made the transition to sound films just fine, and she should have had a career ahead of her -- but by now she had been around so long it is likely audiences of that era had just grown tired of her. But what a legacy she left!
