''David Copperfield'' is a 1911 American silent

short Short may refer to: Places * Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon * Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place People * Short (surname) * List of people known as ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

based on the 1850 novel of the same name by

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

. It is the oldest known film adaptation of the novel.

Overview

The film was made by the

Thanhouser Film Corporation The Thanhouser Company (later the Thanhouser Film Corporation) was one of the first motion picture studios, founded in 1909 by Edwin Thanhouser, his wife Gertrude and his brother-in-law Lloyd Lonergan. It operated in New York City until 1920, ...

, an independent company located in

New Rochelle, New York New Rochelle (; older french: La Nouvelle-Rochelle) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the seventh-largest in the state of ...

founded by

Edwin Thanhouser Edwin Thanhouser (November 11, 1865 – March 21, 1956) was an American actor, businessman, and film producer. He was most notable as a founder of the Thanhouser Company, which was one of the first motion picture studios. His wife Gertrude Tha ...

. The film has been credited to

Theodore Marston Theodore Marston (August 10, 1868 in Minnesota – October 2, 1920 in Los Angeles, California, United States) was an American silent film director and writer during the early silent period. He directed films including '' Aurora Floyd'' in 19 ...

, but recent research points to George O. Nichols as director.

Plot

''David Copperfield'' consists of three reels and as three separate films, released in three consecutive weeks, with three different titles: ''The Early Life of David Copperfield'', ''Little Em'ly and David Copperfield'', and ''The Loves of David Copperfield''.''David Copperfield'' (1911)
at silentera.com

Cast

* Flora Foster as

David Copperfield ''David Copperfield'' Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work, see is a novel in the bildungsroman genre by Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from inf ...

as a boy. *

Ed Genung Ed Genung was an American actor of the silent era notable for being the first actor to play David Copperfield on film - in ''David Copperfield'' (1911) and one of the earliest to play Ferdinand on film - in '' The Tempest'' (1911). Born as Edwar ...

as David Copperfield as a man. *

Marie Eline Marie Eline (February 27, 1902 – January 3, 1981) was an American silent film child actress and sister of Grace Eline. Their mother was an actress. Eline acted on stage for three years before she acted in films. Nicknamed "The Thanhouser ...

as Em'ly as a Child *

Florence La Badie Florence La Badie (born Florence Russ; April 27, 1888 – October 13, 1917) was an American-Canadian actress in the early days of the silent film era. She was a major star between 1911 and 1917. Her career was at its height when she died a ...

as Em'ly as a Woman *

Mignon Anderson Mignon Anderson (March 31, 1892 – February 25, 1983) was an American film and stage actress. Her career was at its peak in the 1910s. Early years Born in Baltimore, Anderson was the daughter of Hallie Howard and Frank Anderson, who were also ...

as Dora Spenlow * Viola Alberti as

Betsey Trotwood Betsey Trotwood is a fictional character from Charles Dickens' 1850 novel ''David Copperfield''. Role in novel Betsey Trotwood is David Copperfield's great-aunt on his father's side, and has an unfavourable view of men and boys, having been ill-us ...

* Justus D. Barnes as Ham Peggotty in part one * William Russell as Ham Peggotty in part two *

William Garwood William Davis Garwood, Jr. (April 28, 1884 – December 28, 1950) was an American stage and film actor and director of the early silent film era in the 1910s. Between 1911 and 1913, Garwood starred in a number of early adaptions of popula ...

Ham Peggotty in part three

Status

A print of the film still exists and is currently in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...

References

External links

* 1911 films 1911 drama films Silent American drama films American independent films American silent short films American black-and-white films Films based on David Copperfield Films set in London Films shot in New York (state) Thanhouser Company films 1911 short films 1910s independent films 1910s English-language films Films directed by George Nichols 1910s American films {{1910s-short-drama-film-stub