The Witness for the Defense

Elsie Ferguson and the boy next door, Vernon Steele, are in love. His father wants him to marry a wealthy woman, any rich woman, so he can go into Parliament. Her father wants her to come to India and marry Warner Oland, so he can have a comfortable old age. So, like a dope, she goes; daddy kicks off -- probably from the debilitating life he spent in India instead of making his own fortune -- and Warner Oland turns out to be a sadist with the heebie-jeebies. While they're on a hunting party, rake Wyndham Standing shows up, witnesses Oland's delusions, and hears about the natives who wish to cut his throat. Standing heads off, and the next morning, Oland is discovered shot. There being no one else in India to accuse, Miss Ferguson goes on trial. Standing shows up, lies like a gentleman, and indicates he expects his reward from Miss Ferguson.

It's based on a play by A.E.W. Mason and Ouida Bergere, and draws from the same well as Somerset Maugham, if more conventionally. At 50 minutes, the story is gutted, but Miss Ferguson is luminous. She knows how to act for the camera -- with her eyes -- and director George Fitzmaurice works his magic to make the mangrove swamps of Florida stand in convincingly for India, with the aid of cameramen Arthur Miller and Hal Young.

The brevity of the movie makes unclear why everyone has it in for Elsie, and the main characters state their motives and perform briskly. The one I feel sorry for is Warner Oland, who wanted to marry miss Ferguson and then went mad, just, apparently, so the plot could operate. still, the print was in pretty good shape, the film is technically very advanced for 1919, and the Monte Alto orchestra put together a fine score.

Strange enough I was doing a search on Elsie Ferguson & up popped a number of WFTD references. This is seemingly the only surviving silent of the once popular Broadway star Elsie Ferguson. A print of WFTD was found at Gosfilmofond Moscow and restored or transferred by the University of North Dakota. Three or four 1919 trailers of this film also survive though in different edits and can be found on UND's website. Ferguson had been a huge star on the Broadway stage of the turn of the century. Early film producers wanted her a lot earlier but she renegged offers. Finally in 1917 she took the plunge and signed with Artcraft Pictures which was one of the units of Paramount. Out of about 25 films none of Ferguson's silents survive. That is until this copy of WFTD resurfaced. Scarlet Pages, her only talkie, also survives and is shown occasionally on TCM. This is fortunate that some semblance of this once great silent star survives. Other goodies about WFTD is that Geo. Fitzmaurice directed and Warner Oland & Wynham Standing costar in support of Ferguson.

Broadway great Elsie Ferguson starred in a couple dozen silent films and one 1930 talkie. This is the only silent known to survive and she's terrific in it. Ferguson stars as Stella, a young English woman in love with a neighbor (Vernon Steele) but his father doesn't approve and wants him to marry a wealthy woman. When Stella is summoned by her father to India, she feels she must go. The selfish father wants he to marry wealthy Captain Ballantyne (Warner Oland) so he can have a comfy life. She finally gives in and marries but the father soon dies and she's trapped in marriage with the brutish drunk. Along comes the sympathetic Henry Thresk (Wyndham Standing) who tries to lure her from the brute but she refuses him. The drunken husband is terrified that a photo he has identifies a local thug and he'll be killed for it. Sure enough he is shot dead, but Stella is accused of the murder.

During the trial, all the circumstantial evidence is stacked against the wife until Thresk appears as a surprise witness for the defense. He produces the photo and testifies that the brute was shot because of what he knew and for the photo. Stella is acquitted. But then Thresk tells her what his price is for freeing her.

Terrific little melodrama runs about an hour and offers several solid performances. The expressive Ferguson is center stage and justifies her reputation as a great actress. Others in the cast include Etienne Girardot and Amelia Summerville. Oland is memorable as the husband.

Well worth seeing.