User Reviews

The loss of the film "Hearts Adrift" is a devastating one for Mary Pickford fans. This was Mary's third film for the Famous Players Film Company and their first filmed on the west coast. The story is some what risqué for the day. Mary plays Nina, a twelve year old girl who is the sole surviver of a shipwreck. She lives for five years on a south sea island, until John Graham, another shipwrecked victim arrives. He tames the wild girl and they fall in love. They perform a primitive marriage ceremony, and sometime later Nina gives birth to a child. Meanwhile, John's wife arrives to the island one day with a rescue party, and John who never lost his love for her is happily reunited. Nina upon seeing their embrace, runs in despair to the edge of the island's volcano where, clutching her baby she leaps into the bubbling lava. Mary Pickford had read this story in a magazine but could not remember the author's name. Director Edwin S. Porter offered her $100 to write it out anyway, and after Hearts Adrift was released the original author came after them and was generously paid off. Despite the grisly ending in the movie of Mary's character, ardent crowds flocked to see this daring film and they became even more mesmerized by the actress. Mary said it was her biggest success to date until Tess Of The Storm Country, a few months later. When Mary returned to New York, Adolph Zukor and his wife took her to tea on Broadway one afternoon to celebrate. They lingered while dusk drew on, then Zukor led her to the mezzanine overlooking Broadway and pointed. "Suddenly I saw it," Mary recalled, "one of the most thrilling sights of my whole career, my name blazing on the marquee in electric lights. Existing photos of this movie show some pretty outdoor scenes on the Pacific Coast with Mary on the rocky beach. For the sake of silent film history, fans hold hope that a copy of this very unique Mary Pickford movie someday resurfaces.