Molly O' (1921) User Reviews

A Work in Progress

[boblipton · 6/10 · 23 July 2006]

The work meant here is the work of restoring this movie, since it did not exist in any sort of coherent form for many decades -- until the folks at UCLA got their hands on a version that the Soviet film archives, Gosfilmfond had held for many years, intended as a feature on how the upper classes in America mistreat the lower classes -- from which they had removed all the jokes. UCLA turned out a version that could be followed, including a lot of stills, in 2001, but more clips have been identified and they intend to continue working at building up a comprehensive version.

And well they should, since Mabel Normand gives a wonderful performance and the script makes a good deal of sense. Molly is the daughter of a working man who is dissatisfied with the life she sees in front of her. Her father is a good man, but has his own ideas of what is proper, and Molly wants more: love, respect and a useful life. Her only confidante is a man who makes silhouettes, played with compassion by George Stockdale, who acts as Molly's fairy godfather in this Cinderella story. Yes, it is incomplete, and the missing sections make one ache for what is gone, just like the restored edition of Capra's LOST HORIZONS. But the warmth of the performances make up for a lot.

The one real trouble is the thrill ending, involving a daring parachute leap from a dirigible... clearly tacked onto a complete and charming story.

I look forward to seeing further restoration work on this movie. Even as it exists, it shows a good deal of charm. The performances are excellent. What a pleasure to see Miss Normand actually act!

Enjoyable Normand film

[scsu1975 · 7/10 · 3 December 2022]

A DVD transfer of an abbreviated copy has been uploaded to YouTube (with Russian titles) and runs just under an hour. The description of the video adds some historical facts. The added musical score features themes familiar to Laurel and Hardy fans.

Molly O'Dair, daughter of an Irish washerwoman, is pursued by the uncouth Danny Smith. Molly meets a young doctor named John Bryant while she is delivering a package of laundry. Bryant is engaged to Miriam Manchester, sister of Fred Manchester, who senses a big payout after his sister marries the doctor. Molly attends a masquerade ball, with Bryant and Miriam in attendance. By coincidence, Molly wears the same costume as Miriam, and Bryant mistakes Molly for his fiancée. This enrages Miriam, who returns his engagement ring. Smith, who is also at the party, is similarly angered. Bryant follows Molly home, where he rescues her from Smith. As Bryant and Molly embrace, Molly's father sees them, and kicks Molly out of the house. She goes to Bryant's home. The next morning, Molly's parents head to Bryant's home, where Mr. O'Dair pulls a gun on the doctor. But Bryant disarms him and tells him he plans to marry Molly. The O'Dair family takes up residence in the doctor's home. Molly's brother, who loses money to Manchester, forges a check. Molly meets Manchester in a blimp, to settle things. Manchester starts up the blimp, and Molly's brother notifies Bryant what has happened. Bryant takes a plane, boards the blimp, rescues Molly, and the two parachute to safety.

Thanks to contemporaneous synopses I found, I was able to understand and enjoy most of the film. At one point, I even realized I didn't need subtitles. Normand is very charming as the heroine, and the few romantic scenes she shares with Mulhall range from cute to almost steamy. Sherman, as usual, makes a good scumbag. Several contemporaneous reviewers panned the climactic blimp sequence, suggesting it was simply tacked on to add some excitement. In any case, the sequence is well-staged with some good stunt work.

The supporting cast is good. Carl Stockdale plays an odd character, who cuts out a silhouette of Normand during one scene, and helps with her costume later on:

Class clashes

[allenrogerj · 5/10 · 6 July 2006]

Not much of a comedy, actually, and in the version shown at the NFT- all that is left recently restored- which is partly shortened and summarised- it still takes about a hundred minutes, so it must have much longer originally. Molly, daughter of an Irish washerwoman, falls for rich but dedicated doctor and eventually marries him. What is interesting is the attitudes it shows: with the exception of the doctor, the rich are depicted as idle, evil and lecherous. One of the side-plots involves Molly's father thinking the doctor has seduced her and trying to kill him in revenge. In fact, her father and mother are such well-portrayed characters- like people from Dreiser in a romantic novel- that they unbalance the story and make it look even more clichéd and absurd.