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.