The Goose Woman starring Jack Pickford and Louise Dresser

On Saturday, April 8, 2023 at 7:30 p.m., legendary filmmaker Allison Anders will introduce a Retroformat Silent Films screening of Clarence Brown's The Goose Woman (1925), starring Louise Dresser, Jack Pickford and Constance Bennett at the historic Woman's Club of Hollywood. Retroformat Musical Director Cliff Retallick will present a live, 1920s vaudeville-style opening and accompany the film, which will be screened from a 16mm print provided courtesy of the USC HMH Moving Image Archive.

Based on a real life murder mystery, The Goose Woman features Broadway and vaudeville star Louise Dresser in a breakthrough film role as Mary Holmes, a washed-up former opera star, now living in filth and squalor. When a murder is committed near her home, she invents a story to get ther name back in front of the public; however, her story results in her son (Jack Pickford) being arrested for the murder. Handsome and charismatic, Jack Pickford was a popular star throughtout the silent film era, although his career was overshadowed by alcoholism, scandal and the enormous success of his sister, Mary Pickford.

Director Clarence Brown is unstinting in his depiction of Mary Holmes’ sordid life and her complex relationship with her son. One of the great directors of Hollywood’s Golden Era, Brown’s many films include The Eagle (1925), also featuring Louise Dresser; Flesh and the Devil (1926); Anna Christie (1930), National Velvet (1944) and The Yearling (1946).

World-renowned film preservationist and historian Kevin Brownlow, author of The Parades Gone By, stated in an interview for the British Film Institute in 2004, “"I knew nothing about film history and was discovering (The Goose Woman) on the fly. When I projected that picture, I suddenly realized the incredible range of American silent films, and I felt, 'My God, I wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life discovering them’..."

Retroformat Silent Films is an educational 501c3 nonprofit, located in Los Angeles. Our Mission is to promote education and enthusiasm about the art of silent film. In addition to our presentations in theaters and online, we present free silent movie screenings with live music and discussion for public schools. The Retroformat Vault is an online archive of rare silent films for our members. Go to https://www.patreon.com/retroformatsilents or retroformat.org for details.

Don't miss this special opportunity to see Clarence Brown's The Goose Woman, introduced in person by legendary filmmaker Allison Anders, with a live, 1920s vaudeville-style opening, in a historic Hollywood setting!