The Witness for the Defense | |
---|---|
Directed by | George Fitzmaurice William J. Scully (asst. director) |
Written by | Ouida Bergère (scenario) |
Based on | The Witness for the Defence by A. E. W. Mason |
Produced by | Adolph Zukor |
Starring | Elsie Ferguson Warner Oland Wyndham Standing |
Cinematography | Arthur C. Miller and/or Hal Young |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 50 minutes |
Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
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. [1] [2]
This article needs a plot summary.(April 2024) |
The film is based on the 1913 novel The Witness for the Defence by A. E. W. Mason. Mason's story was performed as a play on Broadway in 1911 and starred Ethel Barrymore. [3]
Location shooting for the film was carried out in Miami, Florida, though the location was doubling for India. [2]
The film is the earliest of prolific director George Fitzmaurice's to survive and is likewise the only silent film of Elsie Ferguson that remains extant. The film is also the first feature length film art direction credit for William Cameron Menzies.
A complete print of The Witness for the Defense is held by the Gosfilmofond in Moscow. [1] [4]
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.
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.
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.
Under the Greenwood Tree is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by Emile Chautard and starring Elsie Ferguson. The movie was based on a play by Henry V. Esmond. An unrelated British film with this title based on the Thomas Hardy novel Under the Greenwood Tree was made in 1929. The film possibly has a scene where Ferguson swims in the nude in a pond. The title refers to a line in William Shakespeare's play As You Like It. It is classified as being a lost film.
Scarlet Pages is a 1930 pre-Code American crime drama film with songs starring Elsie Ferguson and directed by Ray Enright. It was produced and distributed by First National Pictures, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. The film stars Elsie Ferguson, John Halliday, Grant Withers and Marian Nixon. Scarlet Pages is based on a 1929 Broadway play of the same name that Ferguson also starred in. It is similar in theme to the better remembered Five Star Final, also by Warners released a year later. The film simultaneously marked the first time Ferguson appeared in a sound film and the last film she ever made.
Eyes of the Soul is a lost 1919 American silent romantic drama film produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed through Paramount Pictures and Artcraft. The star of the picture is Elsie Ferguson and its director was Emile Chautard.
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.
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.
Vanity Fair is a 1915 silent film drama directed by Eugene Nowland and Charles Brabin and starring Mrs. Fiske, a renowned Broadway stage actress. The Edison Company produced and released the film. Mrs. Fiske had starred in the 1899 hit Broadway play Becky Sharp based on William Thackeray's 1848 novel of the same name. Here she recreates the role for Edison's cameras. This film marks Mrs. Fiske's second feature film as she had starred in Tess of the d'Urbervilles for Adolph Zukor in 1913. Despite the popularity of Vanity Fair, Mrs. Fiske never made another motion picture.
The Commuters is an extant 1915 silent film comedy directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring Irene Fenwick in film debut. It is based on a 1910 Broadway play, The Commuters, by James Forbes.
The Hillcrest Mystery is a 1918 silent film directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring Irene Castle. The film was released by Pathé Exchange in March 1918, only a month following the untimely death of Irene Castle's husband and dance partner, Vernon Castle in an airplane accident.
That French Lady is a lost 1924 silent film romance drama directed by Edmund Mortimer and starring Shirley Mason. It was produced and distributed by Fox Film Corporation.
Curlytop is a lost 1924 American silent romantic drama film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Shirley Mason, Wallace MacDonald, and Warner Oland. It is based on one of the short stories collected in Limehouse Nights by Thomas Burke.
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.