The Avalanche | |
---|---|
Directed by | George Fitzmaurice |
Written by | Ouida Bergere (scenario) |
Based on | The Avalanche: A Mystery Story by Gertrude Atherton |
Produced by | Adolph Zukor Jesse L. Lasky |
Starring | Elsie Ferguson Lumsden Hare Warner Oland Zeffie Tilbury |
Cinematography | Arthur C. Miller |
Production company | Famous Players–Lasky / Artcraft |
Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 50+ minutes (5 reels at 5,273 ft) |
Country | United States |
Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
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.
This is the first film that teamed director Fitzmaurice and star Ferguson. Some scenes were filmed in Lake Placid, New York. [1] Ferguson's gowns were by the designer Callot Soeurs. [2] [3]
After her father, the owner of a gambling house in Spain, is murdered and her husband, a hardened gambler, commits suicide, Chichita takes her little girl and abandons her in a convent. There, little Helene will be raised by the nuns until, fifteen years later, now grown up, the girl escapes.
She meets and marries novelist Price Ruyler. Soon domestic life bores the young bride who, in New York City, becomes fascinated by nightlife and gambling. One of the gambling saloons she frequents belongs to Nick Delano, Chichita's second husband. Helene, addicted to gambling, suffers heavy losses. She tries to cover them with her jewelry, even stealing money from her husband's wallet, but gets in over her head.
Her mother, who has recognized her, wants to help her but Delano, discovering the bond between the two women, telephones Price. Helene struggles with Delano, who accidentally falls from the balcony and dies. To protect her daughter, Mrs. Delano blames herself for her husband's death and, in prison, poisons herself.
Years later, sitting in front of a burning fireplace, Helene quietly embroiders while Price embraces her affectionately.
With no prints of The Avalanche located in any film archives, it is considered a lost film. [4] In February of 2021, the film was cited by the National Film Preservation Board on their Lost U.S. Silent Feature Films list. [3] [5]
The year 1919 in film involved some significant events.
Elsie Louise Ferguson was an American stage and film actress. Seen by some as an early feminist, she promoted suffrage, which she discussed in interviews, and supported animal rights.
Warner Oland was a Swedish-American actor. His career included time on Broadway and numerous film appearances. He is most remembered for playing several Chinese and Chinese-American characters: Dr. Fu Manchu, Henry Chang in Shanghai Express, and, most notably, Honolulu Police detective Lieutenant Charlie Chan in 16 films.
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.
Francis Lumsden Hare was an Irish-born American film and theatre actor. He was also a theatre director and theatrical producer.
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.
Counterfeit is a 1919 American silent detective drama film directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring Elsie Ferguson. The assistant director was C. Van Arsdale.
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.
Charlie Chan's Courage (1934) is the fifth film in which Warner Oland played detective Charlie Chan. It is a remake of the 1927 silent film The Chinese Parrot, based upon the novel by Earl Derr Biggers. Both are considered lost films.
The Marriage Price is a 1919 American silent romantic drama film produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed through Paramount Pictures and Artcraft. Emile Chautard directed and Elsie Ferguson stars. This film is lost.
Barbary Sheep is a 1917 American silent drama film produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed through Artcraft Pictures, an affiliate of Paramount Pictures. The film was directed by Maurice Tourneur and stars Elsie Ferguson in her motion picture debut. This picture is said to have George M. Cohan in his film debut as well. It is an adaptation of the 1907 novel Barbary Sheep by British writer Robert Hichens. It was thought to be a lost film until an 8-minute clip or fragment was found in the Gosfilmfond archive.
Rose of the World is a lost 1918 American silent drama film produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed by Artcraft Pictures, an affiliate of Paramount Pictures. It is based on the novels of Agnes and Egerton Castle. The film was directed by Maurice Tourneur and stars Elsie Ferguson.
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.
Charlie Chan Carries On is a 1931 American pre-Code mystery film directed by Hamilton MacFadden and starring Warner Oland, John Garrick and Marguerite Churchill. It is the first appearance of Warner Oland as Charlie Chan. Part of the long-running Charlie Chan series, it was based on the 1930 novel of the same title by Earl Derr Biggers. It is now considered a lost film; however, Fox simultaneously filmed a Spanish-language version which was released under the title Eran Trece—There Were Thirteen—and this version survives.
Infatuation is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Irving Cummings and starring Corinne Griffith, Percy Marmont, and Warner Oland. It is an adaptation of the 1919 play Caesar's Wife by Somerset Maugham.
The Iron Heart is a 1917 silent film drama directed by George Fitzmaurice. It was produced by Astra Film Company and distributed by Pathé Exchange.
Arms and the Woman is a 1916 American silent drama film directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring Mary Nash, Lumsden Hare and H. Cooper Cliffe. It has been described as Edward G. Robinson's film debut, but the AFI Catalog of Feature Films states this claim is made only in some sources, as well as the film's sets having been designed by art director Anton Grot. It was shot in Jersey City, New Jersey.
The Naulahka is a 1918 American silent adventure film directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring Antonio Moreno, Helene Chadwick and Warner Oland. It was made for a reported cost of $100,000 leading the studio to claim it was the most expensive film ever made, although many earlier productions had in fact been made with larger budgets. It is based on a poem of the same name by Rudyard Kipling. Originally eight reels long, it was later shortened to six with a running time of around an hour.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)