Three Sisters

Mary is the youngest of three sisters and of an impressionable nature. She and her sister Florence are living at home with their widowed mother, while Adele travels on the road with a theatrical company. Adele returns from the road at the end of her season, and is not home long before she realizes that her place is with her mother and sisters. She finds that they neglect their poor old mother, running off to dancing parties every night and associating with the wrong type of people. Adele, who is older and more experienced, decides to stay and watch over them.

Directed by D.W. Griffith, Three Sisters leans on a strong ensemble — Mary Pickford, Marion Sunshine, Vivian Prescott — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1911.