Coquette

Released Mar 30, 1929

1h 15m

Drama

List

44%

Tomatometer

9 Reviews

25%

Audience Score

250+ Ratings

The object of many a local man's attraction, Norma Besant (Mary Pickford) shrugs off her father's suggestion that she take up with a sophisticated suitor, Stanley Wentworth (Matt Moore), and begins dating unpolished Michael Jeffery (Johnny Mack Brown). A tussle between Norma's new love and her father results in Michael's death. When her father is put on trial for the killing, Norma must decide if she'll tell the truth, or lie to preserve his freedom.

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Mordaunt Hall

New York Times

Sam Taylor not only undertook to direct this picture, but he also wrote some of the dialogue. Neither his direction nor his lines reveal imagination. Miss Pickford saves the picture by her earnest efforts in the roe of Norma Beasant.

Dec 23, 2019

Full Review

Sid Silverman

Variety

It neither grasps nor holds the imagination as did the play for three pretty fair reasons -- cast, change In story and a repeated tendency to become too talkie and motionless.

Dec 23, 2019

Full Review

TIME Staff

TIME Magazine

Her cast is bad and her director no genius. But somehow... [Pickford] turns her difficulties to assets, brings vividly to life the southern smalltown coquette who liked one fellow too well to suit her father.

Dec 23, 2019

Full Review

Shadow Stage

Photoplay

Take along a handkerchief or two for your tears. You will need them.

Jul 28, 2020

Full Review

Film Daily Staff

The Film Daily

Good drama tightened by charming touches.

Jul 24, 2020

Full Review

Raquel Stecher

Out of the Past

This film's historical significance is more interesting than the film itself which I found to be quite dull and lifeless.

Aug 21, 2019

Full Review

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Louisa E

The story is quite good, maybe a little slow-paced, but ok. What lets this movie down is the acting. I get that Mary Pickford would have had a "signature" acting style, but it made her look silly. The other actors weren't great either, and the whole thing felt like I was watching a terrible high school play. Mary didn't deserve the win here. 5/10

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

05/08/23

Full Review

Cameron M

There some films that are dated but are enjoyable due to learning the evolution and innovation of filmmaking and there are some films that are a chore to watch due to offering very little to filmmaking. Coquette is a lot closer to the latter than the former due to the very stilted acting and very very boring story. Coquette, the central character is very annoying and one dimensional. However, Mary Pickford does put some life into the character as a result of some good acting scenes. I can understand why she won the Best Actress Oscar (although I haven't watched the other nominees). Every other character is ridiculously stupid and flat. Overall, some good cinematography for the time and a good performance from Mary Pickford cannot save this boring story and badly written film.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

05/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The sound varies according to who is speaking. This was an important film historically speaking. It was Mary Pickford's first sound film and she did win a Best Actress Oscar for it. By today's standards she was not particularly good. This was extremely old fashioned and silly. Often lines were delivered as if this were an old time morality play being performed. Much of this seemed stagy and went on too long. Also, there were story elements that seemed contrived and stupid. The worst was at the end of the film when Pickford's father grabbed the gun which had been submitted into evidence for the courtroom scene. It was still loaded and they left it right where the accused murderer sat.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

Full Review

Steve D

Overdone like no one has a grasp of this talking thing yet.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/03/23

Full Review

bill t

Kinda fun when you watch a movie you have absolutely no idea about, realize it's a bit of a stinker, and then you go on here and you confirm that. Mary Pickford stars in this absolute hootfest about a woman who falls madly in love with a bit of an undersirable man. He and her make promises to her father that they'll knock it off, but it soon heats up again, and the father takes action! Absolutely overwrought with plot, and containing much dialogue you wouldn't normally hear out of the mouths of sane humans (this was indeed a stage play first), it's only interesting feat is being an early talkie, and how far they needed to go to accomadate stories to such a medium.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Essential to film history. A 1929 film that can be watched the entire way through, despite all its obvious technological flaws. Mary Pickford could act. The technology she lived with kept changing from year to year, but Pickford made the changes stylishly. It's unfair to compare one of the first talkies with modern day movies.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

Full Review

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Sam Taylor

Director

Mary Pickford

Norma Besant

Johnny Mack Brown

Michael Jeffery

Matt Moore

Stanley Wentworth

John St. Polis

Dr. John Besant

William Janney

Jimmy Besant

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Synopsis

The object of many a local man's attraction, Norma Besant (Mary Pickford) shrugs off her father's suggestion that she take up with a sophisticated suitor, Stanley Wentworth (Matt Moore), and begins dating unpolished Michael Jeffery (Johnny Mack Brown). A tussle between Norma's new love and her father results in Michael's death. When her father is put on trial for the killing, Norma must decide if she'll tell the truth, or lie to preserve his freedom.

Director: Sam Taylor
Screenwriter: John Grey, Allen McNeil
Production Co: Pickford Corporation
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 30, 1929, Original
Runtime: 1h 15m