This film is part of a DVD set entitled "Treasures III"--a set of four DVDs all about social issues and reform. The fourth disk (where you'll find this one) is about ethnic issues in particular.
Perhaps few at the time saw any irony in the film's title, but calling the film "100% American" and having it star Canadian, Mary Pickford, seems rather funny. Many saw her as the ideal American but she was Canadian born and raised. No matter, she was "America's Sweetheart"--the #1 box office draw of the era.
The film is a propaganda piece that is trying to illustrate the importance of self-sacrifice in order to aid the war effort. At first in the film, Mary is frivolous and thinks nothing of wasting her money. However, at a bond rally she learns how important it is to economize and make sacrifice. The rest of the film is a preachy illustration of all the ways she can help the man overseas. In fact, by refusing to buy a soda, she is helping kill off the dreaded Hun!!
While all of this is pretty obvious, it's reasonably well done and has a cute segment about Mary losing her bond money as well as a weird final scene with Mary and the Kaiser! It's not the only pro-war effort film Ms. Pickford made (I've seen a couple others) and is clearly not intended as her finest moment on the screen but an overt push to get Americans to invest in bonds. It's successful in this sense but also far less satisfying than the typical feature-length film of the late 1910s or 1920s.
Perhaps few at the time saw any irony in the film's title, but calling the film "100% American" and having it star Canadian, Mary Pickford, seems rather funny. Many saw her as the ideal American but she was Canadian born and raised. No matter, she was "America's Sweetheart"--the #1 box office draw of the era.
The film is a propaganda piece that is trying to illustrate the importance of self-sacrifice in order to aid the war effort. At first in the film, Mary is frivolous and thinks nothing of wasting her money. However, at a bond rally she learns how important it is to economize and make sacrifice. The rest of the film is a preachy illustration of all the ways she can help the man overseas. In fact, by refusing to buy a soda, she is helping kill off the dreaded Hun!!
While all of this is pretty obvious, it's reasonably well done and has a cute segment about Mary losing her bond money as well as a weird final scene with Mary and the Kaiser! It's not the only pro-war effort film Ms. Pickford made (I've seen a couple others) and is clearly not intended as her finest moment on the screen but an overt push to get Americans to invest in bonds. It's successful in this sense but also far less satisfying than the typical feature-length film of the late 1910s or 1920s.