Scott Lord Silent Film. The False Faces (Thomas Ince, 1919)

The Paramount Artcraft publicity releases for 1918 divided their review into three columns, one announcing a "Startling Theory Suggested", another announcing a "Brilliant Leading Lady for Henry B. Walthall" and another announcing "Exciting Incidents Pictured in Production". (The starling theory was of a German UBoat submarine base off of Martha's Vineyard and as the present author was born and raised on Cape Ann, now and long since living on the Charles River, it remains entirely a matter of imaginative speculation.)

The script to "The False Faces" was adapted from a then current serial story printed in The Saturday Evening Post. "Irvin Willat directed the picture with unusual skill." The periodical Wid's Daily during 1919 wrote, "Adaptation of popular serial...offers plot of many complications suitable to screen presentation." Its direction was "responsible for numerous thrills in registering full force of dramatic climaxes."

Lon Chaney as well as having starred in the seven reel silent film “The False Faces”, during 1919 starred under the direction of Tod Browning in the seven reel film “Wicked Darling”.

Although not a Lost Silent Film with a copy existing in the Chezech Film Archive in Praugue, an admittedly seldom screened Lon Chaney film is the 1919 "Paid in Advance", written and directed by Alan Holubur and starring Dorothy Phillips and Priscilla Dean for Universal Film. During 1919, Lon Chaney also appeared in the five reel lost silent film "A Man's Country" (Henry Kolker) starring actress Alma Rubens.

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Lon Chaney

.Lon Chaney Lon Chaney

Scott Lord Silent Film: Lillian Gish in A Romance of Happy Valley (D. W. Griffith, 1919)

During 1919, D.W. Griffith directed Lillian Gish and Kate Bruce in the six reel film "A Romance of Happy Valley", photographed by G.W. Bitzer. Actress Carol Dempster also appears in the film.

Carol Dempster during 1918 also appeared with Dorothy Gish in the lost silent film "The Hope Chest" (Elmer Clifton)- eight films, in fact almost all, of the films made by Lillian Gish's sister, Dorothy Gish during 1918 and 1919 are presently considered lost silent films.

One specific use of technique Griffith uses in "A Romane of Happy Valley" to depict narrative is a cut back and forth within the scene to an inserted close shot to reveal the character’s thoughts of another person. Lillian Gish is seen in close up during the flashback soliloquy insert.


Silent Film

D.W. Griffith

Scott Lord Silent Film: Carol Dempster in The Girl Who Stayed Home (D.W. Griffith, 1919)

Directed by D.W.Griffith and photographed by G.W. Bitzer for the Famous Players Lasky Corporation "The Girl Who Stayed at Home" (seven reels) showcased actress Carol Dempster. In their volume The films of D.W. Griffith, Edward Wagenkneckt and Anthony Slide describe the theater transpiring on screen, the theatrical element, by contrasting the loves scenes of each of the two couples; compared to the Seymour-Harron affair, the "Carol Dempster-Richard Barthelmess love affair is strangely tepid; it lacks the joyful emotion of true feeling."

D.W. Griffith and S.E.V. Taylor had adapted the photoplay from an original story Taylor had written.
D. W. Griffith D.W. Griffith-Carol Dempster

D.W. Griffith-Carol Demoster

Scott Lord Silent Film: Lillian Gish in True Heart Susie (D. W. Griffith, 1919)

Directed D W Griffith during 1919 for ArtcraftPictures Corporation, "True Heart Susie" (six reels) was photographed by G.W. Bitzer and paired Lillian Gish in the titular role with Robert Harron with actresses Kate Bruce and Carol Dempster. In their volume The Films of D.W. Griffith, authors Edward Wagenkneckt and Anthony Slide, divide Griffith's films into two genres, much like author Vachel Lindsay would - the epic and the lyric, the latter being "less ambitious, more intimate" the "stylistic directness" of "True Heart Susie" falling into the latter.

Author Anthony Slide perpiscaciously introduces D. W. Griffith actress Seymour by noting that both Seymour and actor Robert Harron, who had appeared together in both "The Girl Who Stayed Home" and "True Heart Susie" during 1919, had died early during 1920.

After directing “True Heart Susie” in 1919, to end the year, D.W. Griffith directed Lillian Gish in the film “The Greatest Question” (six reels), photographed by G.W. Bitzer.

The films "A Romance of Happy Valley", starring Lillian Gish, and "Scarlet Days", both directed by D.W. Griffith, were thought to be lost and donated to the Modern Museum of Art by Russia when rediscovered. Silent Film D.W. Griffith

Scott Lord Silent Film: Lillian Gish in The Greatest Question (D.W. Griffith, 1919)

In her autobiography The Movies, Mr.Griffith and Me, actress Lillian Gish writes that D.W. Griffith had "hastily filmed" "The Greatest Question", implying that it was the first in a three film assignment from his new studio, First National. Gish notes that the films, which included "The Idol Dancer" and 'The Love Flower", were not successful. "The cost of picture making had risen so high that even without other debts he was always courting complete ruin."

With D.W. Griffith at First National was cinematographer G.W. Bitzer

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D.W. Griffith

Scott Lord Silent Film: Lon Chaney in Victory (Maurice Tourneur, 1919)

Robert Gordon Anderson, in his 1971 volume Faces, Forms, Films, the artistry of Lon Chaney, writes about the film "Victory" (five reels), directed by Maurice Tournuer. "The picture had good reviews despite some distortion of the storyline", liberties having been taken while adapting the literary work of Joseph Conrad.

Robert G. Anderson writes, "Not all of the movies being turned out were made without regard for the artistic nature of the media. Many directors strove to create something of a more lasting nature, utilizing photographt, lighting, settings, acting, editing to create what they wanted. Maurice Tourneur was one of them. Tourneur's film of Joseph Conrad's Victory included another of Lon Chaney's villainous portraits."

Twenty four silent films directed by Maurice Tourneur between 1912-1926 are presumed lost, with no surviving copies, among them being "While Paris Sleeps" (1923) and "Treasure Island" (1920), both having starred Lon Chaney.

Lon Chaney

Lon Chaney Silent Film Lon Chaney

Scott Lord Swedish Silent Film: Åh, i morron kväll (John Brunius, 1919)

Directed in 1919 by Swedish Silent Film director John W. Brunius with a screenplay cowritten by Brunius and Sam Ask "Ah, i morron kvall" featured actresses Mary Graber, Jean Grafstrom and Gucken Cederborg.
John Bruinis

Scandinavian Silent Film

Silent Film

Scott Lord Silent Film: Douglas Fairbanks in When the Clouds Roll By (V...

Victor Fleming, who appeared onscreen in the film as himself, directed Douglas Fairbanks with actress Kathleen Clifford in the film ""When the Clouds Roll BY" (six reels) during 1919 from a photoplay written by Thomas J Geraghty. Fleming had began as a cinematographer for director Alan Dwan. Victor Flemming the following year directed Douglas Fairbanks in the film "The Mollycoddle".

During 1919 Douglas Fairbanks starred with Marjorie Daw in the five reel film "Knickerbocker Buckaroo", which he wrote under the pseudonym Elton Thomas (Elton Banks). Directed by Albert Parker the film is presumed lost, with no existing surviving copies.

Silent Film

In regard to "Lost Films, Found Magazines" a theme in the historiography of my archive on the internet:like the subtitle of a thesis- although the film "A Knickerbocker Buckaroo" does not exist, there being no surviving copies at present, the Exhibitor's Press Book does, providing extratextural discourse to the film within the context of the silent era and at a specific point in Douglas Fairbank's career.

Douglas Fairbanks in Reaching for the Moon

Exhibitor's Trade Review claimed, "You can make good on Big Promises with this 'Knickerbocker Buckaroo'", the publication urging the four column newspaper ad and 24 sheet be used in "A Chance to Cash in on Ad Exploitation".

Douglas Fairbanks

Lost Silent Film

Scott Lord Swedish Silent Film: Hans nåds testamente (Victor Sjostrom, ...

During 1919, Victor Sjostrom directed the film “His Lord’s Will” (“His Grace’s Will” “Hans nads testamente”) from the writings of Hjalmer Bergman. Photographed by Henrik Jaenzon, it starred actresses Greta Almroth, Tyra Dorum and Augusta Lindberg. In bookstores during 1919, God’s Orchid, written by Hjalmer Bergman appeared published in its first edition, followed in 1921 by the novel Thy Rod, Thy Staff and in 1930 by Jac the Clown. The film was remade in 1940 by Per Lindgren, scripted by Stina Bergman and starring Barbra Kollberg and Alk Kjellin.

Scott Lord Scott Lord Victor Sjostrom

Scott Lord Scandinavian Film: Lars Hanson in A Dangerous Proposal (Ett Farlit Frieri, Rune Carlsten, 1919)

The first film directed by Rune Carlsten, an adaptation of a story by Bjornestejerne Bjornson which Carlsten coscripted with Sam Ask, was for Filmindustri Skandia, a short lived merger which shortly thereafter merged again, other directors for the company having been Elis Ellis and John Brunius. "A Dangerous Wooing/A Dangerous Courtshipt" (Ett Farlit Frieri) was the first of five films directed by Rune Carlsten to be photographed by Raol Reynolds. The film stars actress Gun Cronvall in her only on screen performance. Actor Lars Hanson also during 1919 starred underthe direction of Mauritz Stiller with actress Greta Almroth in the film "The Song of the Scarlet Flower" as well as under the direction of Swedish Silent Film director John Brunius in the 1919 film "Synnove Solbakken", with actress Karen Molander, who, then married to director Gustaf Molander, was later to become Lars Hanson's wife. Silent Film Lars Hanson Victor Sjostrom

Scott Lord Silent Film: Mary Pickford in Daddy Long Legs (Neilan, 1919)

Mary Pickford Mary Pickford is listed as having co-scrpited the film "Daddy Long Legs" (seven reels) with Agnes C. Johnston. It was diected by Marshall Neilsen. Mary Pickford

Scott Lord Silent Film: Blind Husbands (Von Stroheim, 1919)

Author Richard Dyer MacCann, in his volume The Silent Screen, explained, "Stroheim's first three films were about attempted seduction...Furthermore, the death of the character played by Stroheim himself in Blind Husbands (1919) and Foolish Wives (1922) seemed to add tension amd seriousness to the atmosphere of petty eroticism." Starring in "Blind Husbands" (eight reels) with director Eric Von Stroheim were actresses Ruby Kendrick, Fay Holderness and Francella Billington. Eric Von Strohiem coscripted the film's photoplay with writer Lillian Ducey.

British Silent Film

Silent Film