This film had a lot going for it: it has good pacing, it looks great, Mary Pickford looks great half the time, and it was superficially a perfect vehicle for her. She plays dual roles in this adaptation of William Locke's novel--both the crippled, rich and beautiful Stella Maris and the abused, ugly orphan Unity Blake--the two central characters. Both are in love with the same man (Conway Tearle). The double exposure effects for when Pickford meets Pickford on screen are seamless. Another technical novelty in the film is its final shot, which was probably a crane shot, as zoom-outs weren't in use at the time, as far as I know. Additionally, art director Wilfred Buckland, a notable pioneer in the field, highlights the contrasts between Stella and Unity with the polar surroundings and designs they inhabit.<br /><br />Here, Pickford demonstrates her versatility, and her double turn is certainly a highlight of her career. The problems with 'Stella Maris' are in its story--the heart of the movie, if one doesn't consider it merely an opportunity to photograph Pickford in different lightings. There are minor faults, such as the goofy dog analogy, but I can overlook them. And, the film begins rather well as a typical melodrama with a double tragedy. Unity's misfortunes are obvious; she is ugly and poor and is beaten severely by the cruel, alcoholic wife of the ideal man both Unity and Stella adore. Stella's life also turns out to be a tragedy in the making; she eventually discovers that those she loves have created a world of illusion for her and that reality is not a fairytale. A happy ending in itself with only one tragedy resulting is not necessarily a problem, either, but it is here.<br /><br />The film concludes with an intertitle stating "all's right with the world," never mind that Unity has committed a pointless murder and suicide for Stella and the supposed prince, who apparently has never heard of the concept of a divorce, to live happily ever after. And, why does Unity murder his wife? The wife only told the truth to Stella, only met her once, which was because Stella came to her. It's a completely senseless tragedy. Furthermore, starving families still exist (although Stella's mother does well to encourage ignoring that), wars continue and isolated tragedies like Unity's go unabated, yet the intertitle states "all's right with the world." It turns out, that Stella has only moved from one fairytale to another--she is still oblivious, and the film itself, it seems, is a fairytale just as bogus as the one Stella was originally led to believe.<br /><br />This is very disappointing work for Frances Marion, who is one of the first important screenwriters in film history. She managed to become, really, the author of Pickford's films; she even directed one of them ('The Love Light' (1921)). In the end, 'Stella Maris' is a poorly conceived, contrived, self-contradictory mess with screwy morals; it is a lurid soap opera.