''Testimony'' is a 1920 British
silent 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 ...
directed by
Guy Newall
Guy Newall (25 May 1885 – 25 February 1937) was a British actor, screenwriter and film director. He was born on the Isle of Wight on 25 May 1885. He began his film career by acting in the 1915 film '' The Heart of Sister Ann''. In 1920 he direc ...
and starring
Ivy Duke
Ivy Duke (9 June 1896, Kensington, London – 8 November 1937, London) was a British actress.Ivy Duke
. bfi.org.uk S ...
,
David Hawthorne and
Mary Rorke
Mary Rorke (14 February 1858, in London – 12 October 1938, in London) was a British stage and film actress.Mary Rorke
. It was based on the novel of the same title by
Alice and Claude Askew.
Plot
As summarized in a film publication,
a farmer, Gilian Lyons (Hawthorne), lives with his mother Rachel Lyons (Rorke), who is tyrannical in her devotion to her son. Gilian braves his mother s anger and marries Althea May (Duke), who moves in with them. Rachel, who had been training Lucinda (Everest) for eventual marriage to her son, vents her spleen against Althea. Gilian and Althea have a daughter who dies, and Rachel says this was because Althea did not take care of her. Althea leaves, lives with an uncle, and enters society, but she later decides to return home, as she still loves Gilian. However, Gilian has left the farm in search of her. After she becomes ill, Rachel takes care of Althea, and their relationship improves. Eventually Gilian returns home to find his wife waiting for him.
Cast
*
Ivy Duke
Ivy Duke (9 June 1896, Kensington, London – 8 November 1937, London) was a British actress.Ivy Duke
. bfi.org.uk S ...
as Althea May
*
David Hawthorne as Gilian Lyons
*
as Cecil Coram
*
Mary Rorke
Mary Rorke (14 February 1858, in London – 12 October 1938, in London) was a British stage and film actress.Mary Rorke
as Rachel Lyons
*
Douglas Munro as Reuben Curtis
*
Marie Wright as Lizzie Emmett
*
Barbara Everest
Barbara Everest (19 June 1890 – 9 February 1968) was a British stage and film actress. She was born in Southfields, Surrey, and made her screen debut in the 1916 film ''The Man Without a Soul''. On stage she played Queen Anne in the 1935 his ...
as Lucinda
*
Ruth Mackay
Ruth Mackay (9 May 1878 – 31 March 1949) was a British stage and silent film actress. She was married to actor Eille Norwood.
She was born in Kennington in London in 1878, the daughter of David McDonald MacKay (1839–1910) and Florence ''née ...
as Lady Yetty
References
Bibliography
* Low, Rachael. ''History of the British Film, 1918-1929''. George Allen & Unwin, 1971.
External links
*
1920 films
1920 drama films
British drama films
British silent feature films
British black-and-white films
Films directed by Guy Newall
Films based on British novels
1920s English-language films
1920s British films
Silent drama films
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