The Witness for the Defense

Last updated
The Witness for the Defense
Elsie Ferguson The Witness of Defense Film Daily 1919.png
period advertisement
Directed by George Fitzmaurice
Written by Ouida Bergère (scenario)
Based on The Witness for the Defence
by A. E. W. Mason
Produced by Famous Players–Lasky
Starring Elsie Ferguson
Warner Oland
Wyndham Standing
Cinematography Arthur C. Miller
and/or
Hal Young
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release date
  • September 14, 1919 (1919-09-14)
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]

Contents

Production background

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. [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.

Cast

Preservation status

A print of The Witness for the Defense was discovered in the Gosfilmofond archive in Moscow. [1] [3]

Related Research Articles

The year 1919 in film involved some significant events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elsie Ferguson</span> American actress

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warner Oland</span> Swedish-American actor (1879–1938)

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.

The House That Shadows Built (1931) is a feature compilation film from Paramount Pictures, made to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the studio's founding in 1912. The film was a promotional film for exhibitors and never had a regular theatrical release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Fitzmaurice</span> French born American film director

George Fitzmaurice was a French-born film director and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ouida Bergère</span> American screenwriter and actress (1886–1974)

Ouida Bergère was an American screenwriter and actress.

<i>Forever</i> (1921 film) 1921 film

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.

<i>Outcast</i> (1922 film) 1922 film

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.

<i>Counterfeit</i> (1919 film) 1919 film by George Fitzmaurice

Counterfeit is a 1919 American silent detective drama film directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring Elsie Ferguson. The assistant director was C. Van Arsdale.

<i>A Society Exile</i> 1919 film by George Fitzmaurice

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 marks the second screen appearance of the actor Henry Stephenson. The film was based upon the play We Can't Be as Bad as All That by Henry Arthur Jones.

<i>The Avalanche</i> (1919 film) 1919 film by George Fitzmaurice

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.

<i>Under the Greenwood Tree</i> (1918 film) 1918 silent film feature directed by Emile Chautard

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.

<i>Scarlet Pages</i> 1930 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.

<i>Eyes of the Soul</i> 1919 film by Emile Chautard

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.

<i>Rose of the World</i> (1918 film) 1918 American film

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.

<i>The Lie</i> (1918 film) 1918 American 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.

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.

<i>The Commuters</i> 1915 film by George Fitzmaurice

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.

<i>That French Lady</i> 1924 film

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.

<i>Curlytop</i> 1924 film directed by Maurice Elvey

Curlytop is a 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.

References