Line #5 Film/StellaMaris


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/161ae871_dc77_4f44_b2de_b764282dae29.jpeg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Two Mary Pickfords for the price of one!]]
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4	-->''"All unhappiness and world wisdom leave outside. Those without smiles need not enter".''
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6	Unity Blake is the most unpopular girl at St. Martha's Orphanage. She is ignored and bullied even by the younger girls. One day, a woman visits and decides to adopt Unity. Her luck has seemingly changed for the better. On the other side of town, a young woman named Stella Maris lies in bed, paralyzed since birth. Her wealthy guardians have prevented Stella from learning of the miseries of reality by keeping her locked away in a room. Stella, however, is content with her life and oblivious to the world outside of her mansion. The two girls don't yet know each other but they'll be brought together by a series of unfortunate events.
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8	''Stella Maris'' is a 1918 drama film starring Creator/MaryPickford and Conway Tearle. Based on a novel by William J. Locke, it was remade in 1925 starring Mary Philbin. Pickford (and Philbin in the remake) play [[ActingForTwo both Unity and Stella]].
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10	As it's over a centenary old, it's public domain and therefore [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taJ0LOEm5kk available here]]. No relation to the 2022 Creator/CormacMcCarthy final novel.
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12	----
13	!!''Stella Maris'' contains examples of:
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15	* AbusiveParents: Unity's adopted mother treats her like a servant and constantly yells at her. She beats her unconscious when she comes home without groceries due to a group of boys stealing them. Louise ends up arrested and sentenced to three years.
16	* AdoptAServant: Unity is adopted by an alcoholic who wants her to act as her maid.
17	* TheAlcoholic: Louise and John were a happy couple until her drinking habit spiraled out of control and her personality began to change.
18	* AlcoholicParent: Drunkard Louise Risca's previous servants would always leave her. So she adopted an orphan so that she can clean her house.
19	* BeautyInversion: Mary Pickford plays both the adorable Stella and the quote-unquote "ugly duckling" Unity. Stella is Pickford as usual while Unity is a more plain looking version.
20	* {{Bowdlerise}}: Even in the pre-Code era, the film's dark themes were a bit much. The shooting of Louise is often cut.
21	* DeathOfAChild: As a part of Stella learning that life isn't all gumdrops and lollipops, she reads in the newspaper about how a starving mother committed MurderSuicide with her child.
22	* DrivenToSuicide:
23	** Stella hits a DespairEventHorizon and becomes suicidal after she learns that John has a wife. Her views on the world dissipating are also a large reason for it.
24	** [[spoiler:Unity kills herself]] after [[MurderSuicide killing Louise]].
25	* FullNameBasis: Most characters refer to Stella as "Stella Maris".
26	* HeartwarmingOrphan: Despite all that happens to her, Unity stays a sweetheart. Until she shoots Louise, that is, and even then she had good intentions.
27	* HeroicSacrifice: Unity's [[spoiler: MurderSuicide]] is treated this way. She [[spoiler:kills Louise]] so that she can't hurt Stella or John anymore.
28	* HeroesLoveDogs: Stella has a faithful pet dog that she loves. She's also partial to [[KindHeartedCatLover cute kittens]].
29	* InconsistentSpelling: John's surname is spelled "Riska" in a newspaper article, but the titles and other text all display it as "Risca".
30	* TheIngenue: The titular protagonist was crafted into one by her overprotective family. After gaining the use of her legs, her perfect image of the world starts slowly crumbling.
31	* InspirationallyDisabled: Stella has been paralyzed since birth. Subverted as halfway through the film she regains the ability to walk thanks to surgery.
32	* MessyHair: Alcoholic Louise has long, unkempt hair.
33	* OneHeadTaller: John is almost exactly a head taller than Stella.
34	* ParentalIncest: John adopts Unity and becomes her guardian, though they don't develop much of a familial bond and she's more like a servant. Unity later falls for him.
35	* PrecociousCrush: It's hard to tell their ages, but Unity can't be much older than 16 max. She has a crush on the older John.
36	* ASaintNamedMary: Stella's name is intended to be a reference to the Virgin Mary; an archaic title for Mary is "Stella Maris". The titular Stella is TheIngenue.
37	* SiblingMurder: Referenced. In a newspaper, Stella reads about a man who shot his brother.
38	* StellarName: Stella. On top of how obvious her first name is, her full name is another term for the Polaris star.

Context Film / StellaMaris