Ramona

Ramona is a 1910 American short drama film directed by D. W. Griffith, based on Helen Hunt Jackson's 1884 novel Ramona. Through a love story, the early silent short explores racial injustice to Native Americans and stars Mary Pickford and Henry B. Walthall. A copy of the print survives in the Library of Congress film archive. The film was remade in 1928 (dir. Edwin Carewe) with Dolores del Río and 1936 (dir. Henry King) with Loretta Young. Plot Ramona chronicles the romance between Ramona (Mary Pickford), a Spanish orphan from the prestigious Moreno family, and Alessandro (Henry B. Walthall), an Indian who appears on her family's ranch one day. Ramona's foster mother's son Felipe (Francis J. Grandon) proclaims his love for Ramona, but she rejects him because she has fallen for Alessandro. They fall deeply in love, yet their desire to wed is denied by Ramona's foster mother, who reacts by exiling Alessandro from her ranch. He returns to his village, only to find that it has been demolished by white men. Meanwhile, Ramona is informed that she also has "Indian blood", which leads her to abandon everything she has to be with Alessandro. They marry, and live among the wreckage of Alessandro's devastated village. They have a child together and live at peace until the white men come to force them from their home as they claim the land. Their baby perishes, which adds to Alessandro's mental deterioration. Alessandro is then killed by a white man. A devastated Ramona then returns with Felipe back to her family back on the ranch. Cast Mary Pickford as Ramona Henry B. Walthall as Alessandro Francis J. Grandon as Felipe Kate Bruce as The Mother W. Chrystie Miller as The Priest Dorothy Bernard Gertrude Claire as Woman in west Robert Harron Dell Henderson as Man at burial Mae Marsh Frank Opperman as Ranch hand Anthony O'Sullivan as Ranch hand Jack Pickford as A boy Mack Sennett as White exploiter