Mary Pickford
LITTLE ANNIE ROONEY [Blu-ray] [1925]
Mary Pickford plays a “tomboy of the tenements” in this comedy drama, which she wrote. Filmed over ten weeks, Little Annie Rooney was shot entirely on a set created by art director John D. Schulze at the Pickford Fairbanks Studio.Co-starring William Haines and a wide-ranging, multi-ethnic cast. Little Annie Rooney met with huge critical and commercial success upon it original release, proving fans and critics alike wanted the then 33-year old Mary to stay a child forever.Created from the original tinted nitrate print in Mary Pickford’s personal collection at the Library of Congress, Little Annie Rooney was preserved photo-chemically by the Academy Film Archive. A new 35mm preservation master was then scanned at 4K high definition so that the Mary Pickford Foundation, in cooperation with AMPAS, could create a digital version to perfectly match the original nitrate tints and tones.The Mary Pickford Foundation commissioned Andy Gladbach to compose a new, original soundtrack for the film, which features a 12-piece orchestra, including three percussionists.
Cast – Mary Pickford, William Haines, Walter James, Gordon Griffith DirectorWilliam Beaudine
Producer – Mary Pickford
Cinematography – Hal Mohr, Charles Rosher
Writer – Mary Pickford, Hope Loring, Louis D. Lighton, Tom McNamara
Music – Andy Gladbach (new original soundtrack 2018)
Bonus Features• New, original soundtrack for the film, which features a 12-piece orchestra, including three percussionists.• Souvenir booklet featuring rare photographs and essays by Cari Beauchamp
Format Blu-ray
Audio Silent with Stereo Music Score
Aspect Ratio 16×9 with 4×3-Pillar Boxed Image
Runtime 114
Year 1925
Color B&W with Color Tinting
UPC 617311685798
Format Blu-ray
SRP $29.95
SKU FA0057
Gladbach’s score is a great achievement and serves the film well while still having a unique sensibility.
Rooney adds (on both disc versions at 5:14) a featurette on how young Andy Gladbach created a score so good, it defies the stereotypical silent film scoring (and re-scoring) we’ve encountered over the years.
Little Annie Rooney has likewise benefited but with the addition of a new score by young composer Andy Gladbach who, with a team of an equally young orchestra, has captured the mood of one of the star’s most popular films superbly.
