''Deceit'' (sometimes referred to as ''The Deceit'') is a 1923 American silent

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

film. It is a conventional

melodrama A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exces ...

directed by

Oscar Micheaux Oscar Devereaux Micheaux (; January 2, 1884 – March 25, 1951) was an author, film director and independent producer of more than 44 films. Although the short-lived Lincoln Motion Picture Company was the first movie company owned and controlled ...

. Like many of Micheaux's films, ''Deceit'' casts

cleric Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

s in a negative light. Although the film was shot in 1921, it was not released until 1923. It is not known whether the film currently survives,Progressive Silent Film List: ''Deceit''
at silentera.com which suggests that it is a

lost film A lost film is a feature or short film that no longer exists in any studio archive, private collection, public archive or the U.S. Library of Congress. Conditions During most of the 20th century, U.S. copyright law required at least one copy o ...

. The 1922 film ''The Hypocrite'' was shown within ''Deceit'' as a film within a film.

Cast

Evelyn Preer Evelyn Preer (née Jarvis; July 26, 1896 – November 17, 1932), was a pioneering American stage and screen actress and jazz and blues singer of the 1910s through the early 1930s. Preer was known within the black community as "The First Lady of ...

– Doris Rutledge / Evelyn Bently *

William Fountaine William Fountaine (August 15, 1897 – December 6, 1945) was a film actor in the United States. He starred in Oscar Micheaux's 1922 film ''Uncle Jasper's Will'', '' The Dungeon'' released the same year, and ''Deceit'' in 1923. He had a leading role ...

– unknown role *Norman Johnstone – Alfred DuBois / Gregory Wainwright * A. B. DeComathiere – Reverend Bently *

Cleo Desmond Cleo Desmond (born Minnie Matilda Hatfield, April 25, 1880 – October 6, 1958) was an American actress and vaudeville performer who had a long career on the stage and screen. She began acting and performing at a young age, appearing in plays an ...

– Charlotte Chesbro *Louis De Bulger – Mr. Chesbro *Mabel Young – Mrs. Levine *Cornelius Watkins – Gregory Wainwright, as a child *Mrs. Irvin C. Miller – Mrs. Wainwright *Ira O. McGowan – Mr. Wainwright

References

External links

* * 1923 drama films 1923 films Silent American drama films American silent feature films American black-and-white films Melodrama films 1920s American films {{1920s-silent-drama-film-stub