''Stella Maris'' is a 1925 American silent

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Charles Brabin Charles Brabin (April 17, 1882 – November 3, 1957) was a British-American film director. Biography Born in Liverpool, England, he was educated at St. Francis Xavier's College (Liverpool), St. Francis Xavier College. Brabin sailed to New Yor ...

, written by Mary Alice Scully and based on a William J. Locke's 1913 novel. The film is a remake of the 1918 version, starring

Mary Pickford Gladys Louise Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American film actress and producer. A Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood, pioneer in the American film industry with a Hollywood care ...

Plot

Stella Maris was born paralyzed and has lived all of her life in her bed in a London mansion. Her parents died and she was left a fortune by the aunt for whom she was named. She lives with her wealthy aunt and uncle who, along with a close family friend, Walter Herold, and first cousin, John Riska, do not want her to be exposed to all the bad things happening in the world. John and Walter frequently visit her. Love grows between John and Stella Maris. John, however, has a dark secret of being trapped in an unhappy marriage with Louise. Louise wants a servant and hires orphan Unity Blake. Louise beats Unity up after an incident, which results in Louise being sent to jail. John decides to adopt Unity and takes care of her. This results in Unity falling in love with John as well, despite knowing they can never be a couple. When she gets older, Stella's condition is miraculously cured by a special surgical procedure. She is no longer confined to her room. When she is able to go out, she is disillusioned and angry with her family and friends who lied to her about the ugliness of the world. She is most upset that they didn't believe she was strong enough to handle the truth. The end has tragedy and happiness.

Cast

Preservation

A print of ''Stella Maris'' survives at

UCLA Film & Television Archive The UCLA Film & Television Archive is a visual arts organization focused on the preservation, study, and appreciation of film and television, based at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). As a nonprofit exhibition venue, the archive ...

. Outtakes from ''Stella Maris'' were preserved by the

Academy Film Archive The Academy Film Archive is part of the Academy Foundation, established in 1944 with the purpose of organizing and overseeing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' educational and cultural activities, including the preservation of mot ...

in 2016.

References

External links

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(heritageAucitons or ha) 1925 films 1925 drama films 1920s American films 1920s English-language films American black-and-white films American silent feature films English-language drama films Films based on British novels Films based on works by William John Locke Films directed by Charles Brabin Films produced by Carl Laemmle Films set in London Remakes of American films Silent American drama films Surviving American silent films Universal Pictures films {{1920s-silent-drama-film-stub