''The Witness for the Defense'' is a 1919 American 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 George Fitzmaurice and starring

Elsie Ferguson Elsie Louise Ferguson (August 19, 1883 – November 15, 1961) was an American stage and film actress. Early life Born in New York City, Elsie Ferguson was the only child of Hiram and Amelia Ferguson. Her father was a successful attorney. Raise ...

, Warner Oland, and

Wyndham Standing Charles Wyndham Standing''Silent Film Necrology'', 2nd Edition by Eugene Michael Vazzana, c. 2001 page 497 (23 August 1880 – 1 February 1963) was an English film actor. Early years Standing was born in London, England and died in Los An ...

.Progressive Silent Film List: ''The Witness for the Defense''
at silentera.com

Production background

The film is based on the 1913 novel '' The Witness for the Defence'' by

A. E. W. Mason Alfred Edward Woodley Mason (7 May 1865 – 22 November 1948) was an English author and politician. He is best remembered for his 1902 novel of courage and cowardice in wartime, ''The Four Feathers'' and is also known as the creator of Inspecto ...

. Mason's story was performed as a play on Broadway in 1911 and starred

Ethel Barrymore Ethel Barrymore (born Ethel Mae Blythe; August 15, 1879 – June 18, 1959) was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors. Barrymore was a stage, screen and radio actress whose career spanned six decades, and was regarde ...

. 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.The Library of Congress American Silent Feature Film Survival Catalog: ''The Witness for the Defense''
/ref>

References

External links

*

* 1919 films American silent feature films 1919 drama films Films directed by George Fitzmaurice Silent American drama films Films based on British novels American black-and-white films 1910s rediscovered films Films with screenplays by Ouida Bergère 1910s American films 1910s English-language films {{1910s-drama-film-stub