Mary Pickford was the original “America’s Sweetheart”. Although she made a career of playing coquettish waifs on the silent screen, behind the scenes she was a savvy businesswoman and a driving force behind the original United Artists with Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks (soon to be her husband), and the great director D.W. Griffith.

At 33 years of age, Sparrows would be the last time Mary played the golden-haired woman child, but her plucky and resourceful persona served her well in this Dickensian tale of kidnapping, cruelty, and attempted infanticide. Mary plays “Mama Molly” the oldest “child” at a baby farm hidden deep in a Southern swamp. She cares for all the children, bringing them hope with the story of baby jesus. (”He was born in a barn — just like this.”) When one of the children dies, Jesus himself makes an appearance to carry the innocent to his great reward.

After their cruel keeper kidnaps and then threatens a baby, Molly knows that their only chance is to escape through the harrowing swamp with its twisted trees, quicksand, and treacherous alligators. The stylized set design and atmospheric photography reflects the influence of German expressionist cinema on American film in the 1920s. Many, including Charlie Chaplin, considered this dark tale to be Pickford’s best.