Shawn Hall Long before this summer’s recent slew of double-trouble films from Sinners to The Alto Knights, actors playing dual roles was a narrative device since the earliest days of Hollywood. Mary Pickford, the biggest star in Hollywood in the late 1910s, starred in her own version of the dual role film in 1918’s Stella Maris.
The film ranks at number 99 on Silent Era’s Top 100 Silent Movies list, which I’m running a bi-weekly series reviewing each movie on the list to determine whether each entry truly deserves to be called one of the greatest silent films ever made. Does having twice the Mary make Stella Maris a worthy inclusion in the Top 100 Silent Movies?
Mary Pickford as her two characters: Stella Maris and Unity
A Tale of Two Marys
Mary Pickford’s two characters in Stella Maris are the complete opposite of each other. First, she plays the titular character, Stella Maris, a young woman born paralyzed and raised in total isolation within her wealthy family’s mansion.
To shield her from life’s cruelties, her family keeps her in a dreamlike fantasy. She doesn’t know about poverty, death, war, even as World War I is raging on outside her door. Her parents go so far as to post a sign above her bedroom door forbidding visitors from mentioning anything unpleasant. Stella lives a lie, a life carefully curated to be free from sorrow.
Stella Maris in her secluded paradise without any unhappiness.
Pickford’s second role is Unity Blake, a poor orphan who has experienced almost nothing but sorrow. After a string of painful events, Unity is adopted by Stella’s romantic interest John, and brought into Stella’s household as a servant. However, the family hides Unity’s existence to preserve the illusion that Stella’s world is perfect and pain-free.
That illusion begins to crack after Stella undergoes a miraculous surgery that allows her to walk. As she recovering, she encounters the real world filled with poverty, suffering, and injustice for the first time, with Unity playing a key role in her awakening.
Pickford’s Star Power on Full Display
At the time Stella Maris was released, Mary Pickford was arguably the most famous actress in the world. Known as “the girl with the golden curls,” she had become a symbol of innocence and sweetness. Fans adored her for playing youthful, pure-hearted characters.
By taking on the dual roles of the gentle Stella and the hardened Unity, she manages to both satisfy her loyal fan base and stretch her range as an actress. And she pulls it off! These are not just two costumes or wigs—they’re two distinct personalities. You forget you’re watching the same person.
Yup that’s the same person!
Unity, in particular, was a huge departure for Pickford. The role gave her the opportunity to express emotional complexity and resilience in ways that her earlier characters didn’t allow. It also showed that she was more than a charming face—she was a serious performer with real ambition.
Equally impressive are the film’s visual effects. In scenes where Stella and Unity appear together, the editing and compositing are done so smoothly that you might forget they’re both played by the same actress. For a film made in 1918, this is no small feat. It’s a testament to the early film editors and effects engineers who helped pioneer techniques that are still used today.
Unity and Stella in love with the same man.
Stella Maris: A Mature, Emotional Story
What really elevates Stella Maris is its willingness to deal with dark, emotionally mature subject matter. Themes of class disparity, physical disability, abuse, and denial are handled with surprising sensitivity for the time period. The contrast between Stella’s naive world and Unity’s harsh reality creates a powerful emotional arc. When these two worlds finally collide, the result is both heartbreaking and cathartic.
Stella Maris centers its entire story around two women, with her love interest as the only major male character. Remarkably, the film fails the reverse Bechdel test, that is, a movie where men only talk to each other about women. Every conversation centers around Mary Pickford’s two characters, and the men characters are entirely in the orbit of Stella and Unity. Stella Maris‘ commitment to fleshed-out female characters reflects the number of female creatives working in the far-too-often-dismissed 1910s decade.
Check out my video review of Stella Maris, complete with footage from the film.
Because of Mary Pickford’s daring dual performance, the film’s seamless early visual effects, and a story that isn’t afraid to explore darker themes in the wake of World War I, I wholeheartedly agree with Silent Era’s decision to include Stella Maris in the top 100 silent films ever made.
It may not be as widely known today as Metropolis or The General, but Stella Maris is every bit as deserving of attention and acclaim. Catch the film for Pickford’s brilliant acting, the story’s emotional weight, and to see what cinema was capable of over a hundred years ago.
