Counterfeit | |
---|---|
![]() Ad for the film on the cover of a 1919 issue of Wid's Daily | |
Directed by | George Fitzmaurice |
Written by | Robert M. Baker (story) Ouida Bergère (scenario) |
Produced by | Adolph Zukor Jesse L. Lasky |
Starring | Elsie Ferguson David Powell |
Cinematography | Arthur C. Miller |
Production company | Famous Players–Lasky/Artcraft |
Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 50+ minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
Counterfeit is a 1919 American silent detective drama film [1] [2] directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring Elsie Ferguson. The assistant director was C. Van Arsdale. [3]
The picture was the fourth film Fitzmaurice and Ferguson worked on together.
As described in a film magazine, [4] Virginia Griswold (Ferguson), whose family is in financial straits, resolves to remedy the situation by finding the source of widely distributed counterfeit bills, as a large reward is offered for the capture of the maker of the fake bills. A clue takes her to Newport where she poses as one of the idle rich and falls in love with Stuart Kent (Powell), a man of means, who returns her affection. Vincent Cortez (Gerard), about whom little is known, also becomes enamored of Virginia and she accepts his affections, much to the consternation of Stuart. She offers no acceptable explanation to Stuart for this. Carefully and craftily she leads Vincent to the point of sharing confidences, although this course greatly enrages Stuart and for a time threatens to bring open rupture of their relationship. After Vincent admits he is the counterfeiter, however, Virginia brings Stuart to an understanding of the situation and a happy conclusion.
With no prints of Counterfeit located in any film archives, it is considered a lost film. [5] In February of 2021, the film was cited by the National Film Preservation Board on their Lost U.S. Silent Feature Films list. [3] [6]
George Fitzmaurice was a French-born film director and producer.
Forever is a 1921 American silent romance film, also known as Peter Ibbetson, that was written by Ouida Bergère and directed by George Fitzmaurice. It was adapted from George du Maurier's 1891 novel Peter Ibbetson, which was made into a play of the same name by John N. Raphael.
The Witness for the Defense is a 1919 American silent drama film directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring Elsie Ferguson, Warner Oland, and Wyndham Standing.
Outcast is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by Chester Withey. The film starred Elsie Ferguson and David Powell. William Powell has a small supporting part in this which was his third film.
A Society Exile (1919) is an American silent film drama directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring Elsie Ferguson, Julia Dean, and William Carleton. The assistant director to Fitzmaurice was William Scully. The film was based upon the 1910 play We Can't Be as Bad as All That by Henry Arthur Jones, adapted for the screen by Ouida Bergère. The film marks the second screen appearance of the actor Henry Stephenson.
The Avalanche is a 1919 American silent drama film about gambling directed by George Fitzmaurice who also served as the film's art director. William Scully was the assistant director to Fitzmaurice. The film stars Elsie Ferguson and Warner Oland. Ferguson plays a dual role in the film, portraying both mother and daughter.
Lady Rose's Daughter is a 1920 American silent drama film starring Elsie Ferguson and David Powell with directing being from Hugh Ford. It was produced by Famous Players–Lasky and released through Paramount Pictures. The film was based on a stage play performed in 1903 on Broadway. Both the film and the play were based on the famous 1903 novel by Mrs. Humphry Ward. The actress Ida Waterman had appeared in the original 1903 Broadway play.
The Song of Songs is a 1918 American silent drama film produced by Famous Players–Lasky and based on a 1914 stage play version by Edward Sheldon of the 1908 novel by Hermann Sudermann, The Song of Songs. This picture was directed by Joseph Kaufman and stars Elsie Ferguson. This was Kaufman's last film before his death on February 1, 1918, very early on during the 1918 flu pandemic.
A Doll's House is a 1918 American silent drama film produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed by Artcraft Pictures, an affiliate of Paramount Pictures. It is the third American motion picture filming of Henrik Ibsen's 1879 play A Doll's House. Maurice Tourneur directed and Elsie Ferguson starred. This film is lost.
The Rise of Jennie Cushing is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Maurice Tourneur, produced by Famous Players–Lasky, and distributed by Artcraft Pictures, an affiliate of Paramount Pictures. The story based upon the novel The Rise of Jennie Cushing by Mary Watts and stars Broadway's Elsie Ferguson. The film marked Ferguson's second motion picture. It is a lost film.
The Lie is a 1918 American silent drama film produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed by Artcraft Pictures, an affiliate of Paramount. J. Searle Dawley directed and stage star Elsie Ferguson starred in a story based on a 1914 play by Henry Arthur Jones and starring Margaret Illington. The film is now lost.
A Dark Lantern is a 1920 American silent drama film produced and released by Realart Pictures. It is based on a 1905 novel of the same name by Elizabeth Robins. John S. Robertson directed and Alice Brady and her then husband James Crane star.
Crooked Streets is a 1920 American silent drama spy film directed by Paul Powell and produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is one of star Ethel Clayton's rare surviving silent films with a copy at the Library of Congress. The film is based on a short story, "Dinner at Eight", by Samuel Merwin.
The Deep Purple is a 1920 American silent crime drama film directed by Raoul Walsh from a 1910 play, The Deep Purple, co-written by Paul Armstrong and Wilson Mizner. The picture stars Miriam Cooper and Helen Ware and is a remake of the 1915 lost film The Deep Purple. It is not known whether the 1920 film currently survives.
The Danger Mark is a lost 1918 American silent drama film directed by Hugh Ford and starring Elsie Ferguson. It was produced by Famous Players–Lasky, and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is based on a play by Robert W. Chambers. Prior to the film's release, the play was published in "serial form and later issued as a book."
The Love Burglar is a 1919 American silent drama film directed by James Cruze, written by Walter Woods based upon a play by Jack Lait, and starring Wallace Reid, Anna Q. Nilsson, Raymond Hatton, Wallace Beery, Wilton Taylor, and Edmund Burns. The film was released on July 13, 1919, by Paramount Pictures.
The Common Cause is a lost 1919 American silent comedy film directed and produced by J. Stuart Blackton and distributed by Vitagraph Company of America. It is based on a play, Getting Together, by Ian Hay, J. Hartley Manners, and Percival Knight.
Lord and Lady Algy is a lost 1919 American silent comedy film directed by Harry Beaumont and starring Tom Moore, Naomi Childers, and Frank Leigh. It is based on a play of the same name by R.C. Carton.
New York is a 1916 American silent comedy drama film directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring Florence Reed. It was adapted by Ouida Bergère from a 1910 William J. Hurlbut play of the same title. The film was distributed by the Pathé Exchange company.
The Notorious Mrs. Sands is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by Christy Cabanne and produced by and starring Bessie Barriscale.