The Witness for the Defense
{{Short description|1919 film by George Fitzmaurice}}
{{for|the 1913 novel by A. E. W. Mason |The Witness for the Defence}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name = The Witness for the Defense
| image = Elsie Ferguson The Witness of Defense Film Daily 1919.png
| caption = Ad for the film on the cover of a 1919 issue of Wid's Daily
| director = George Fitzmaurice
William J. Scully (asst. director)
| producer = Adolph Zukor
| studio = Famous Players–Lasky
| based_on = {{based on|The Witness for the Defence|A. E. W. Mason}}
| writer = Ouida Bergère (scenario)
| starring = Elsie Ferguson
Warner Oland
Wyndham Standing
| music =
| cinematography = Arthur C. Miller
and/or
Hal Young
| editing =
| distributor = Paramount Pictures
| released = {{film date|1919|9|14}}
| runtime = 50 minutes
| country =
| language = Silent (English intertitles)
| budget =
}}
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.[http://www.silentera.com/PSFL/data/W/WitnessForTheDefense1919.html Progressive Silent Film List: The Witness for the Defense] at silentera.com{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/18265-THE-WITNESS-FOR-THE-DEFENSE |title=The Witness for the Defense |work=afi.com |access-date=April 23, 2024}}
Plot
{{no plot|date=April 2024}}
Cast
{{Cast listing|
- Elsie Ferguson as Stella Derrick
- Vernon Steele as Dick Hazelwood
- Warner Oland as Captain Ballantyne
- Wyndham Standing as Henry Thresk
- George Fitzgerald as Wigney Derrick
- J. H. Gilmour as Harold Hazelwood
- Amelia Summerville as Margaret Pettifer
- Cora Williams as Teresa Derrick
- Blanche Standing as Mary Derrick
- Leslie King as Baram Singh
- Charles W. Charles as Gardner
- Mrs. Bryant as Gardner's Wife
- Etienne Girardot as Richard Pettifer
- Henry Warwick as Lawyer
}}
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.[http://ibdb.com/production.php?id=6429 The Witness for the Defense as produced on Broadway by Charles Frohman at the Empire Theatre December 4, 1911 to January 1912, 64 performances; IBDb.com]
Location shooting for the film was carried out in Miami, Florida, though the location was doubling for India.
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.
Preservation
A complete print of The Witness for the Defense is held by the Gosfilmofond in Moscow.{{cite web |url=https://memory.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.mbrs.sfdb.1559/ |title=American Silent Feature Film Database: The Witness for the Defense |access-date=April 23, 2024 |publisher=Library of Congress}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category|The Witness for the Defense}}
- {{IMDb title|0010905}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20090102121043/http://www.und.edu/instruct/cjacobs/WitnessfortheDefense.htm The Witness for the Defense as restored and presented by the University of North Dakota (with stills and clips from the movie)]
- [https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1919-magic-lantern-movie-slide-498676421 lantern slide]
{{George Fitzmaurice}}
{{A. E. W. Mason}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Witness For The Defense}}
Category:1910s English-language films
Category:1910s rediscovered films
Category:American black-and-white films
Category:American silent feature films
Category:English-language drama films
Category:Films based on British novels
Category:Films directed by George Fitzmaurice
Category:Films with screenplays by Ouida Bergère
Category:Paramount Pictures films
Category:Silent American drama films
Category:Surviving American silent films
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