Counterfeit (1919 film)

Counterfeit
Counterfeit
	Ad for the film on the cover of a 1919 issue of Wid's Daily
Directed by	George Fitzmaurice
Written by	Robert M. Baker (story); Ouida Bergère (scenario)
Produced by	Adolph Zukor; Jesse L. Lasky
Starring	Elsie Ferguson; David Powell
Cinematography	Arthur C. Miller
Production; company	Famous Players–Lasky/Artcraft
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	November 30, 1919;
Running time	50+ minutes
Country	United States
Language	Silent (English intertitles)

Counterfeit is a 1919 American silent detective drama film^[1]^[2] directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring Elsie Ferguson. The assistant director was C. Van Arsdale.^[3]

The picture was the fourth film Fitzmaurice and Ferguson worked on together.

Plot

As described in a film magazine,^[4] Virginia Griswold (Ferguson), whose family is in financial straits, resolves to remedy the situation by finding the source of widely distributed counterfeit bills, as a large reward is offered for the capture of the maker of the fake bills. A clue takes her to Newport where she poses as one of the idle rich and falls in love with Stuart Kent (Powell), a man of means, who returns her affection. Vincent Cortez (Gerard), about whom little is known, also becomes enamored of Virginia and she accepts his affections, much to the consternation of Stuart. She offers no acceptable explanation to Stuart for this. Carefully and craftily she leads Vincent to the point of sharing confidences, although this course greatly enrages Stuart and for a time threatens to bring open rupture of their relationship. After Vincent admits he is the counterfeiter, however, Virginia brings Stuart to an understanding of the situation and a happy conclusion.

Cast

Elsie Ferguson as Virginia Griswold
David Powell as Stuart Kent
Helen Montrose as Mrs. Palmer
Charles Kent as Colonel Harrington
Charles K. Gerard as Vincent Cortez
Ida Waterman as Mrs. Griswold
Robert Lee Keeling as Mr. Palmer
Fred Jenkins as Uncle Ben
Mrs. Robertson as Aunt Jemima
Elizabeth Breen as Marinette, the Maid

Preservation

With no prints of Counterfeit located in any film archives, it is considered a lost film.^[5] In February of 2021, the film was cited by the National Film Preservation Board on their Lost U.S. Silent Feature Films list.^[3]^[6]

References

^ American Film Institute Catalogue, Feature Films 1911-1920
^ Progressive Silent Film List: Counterfeit at silentera.com
^ ^a ^b "Counterfeit". afi.com. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
^ "Reviews: Counterfeit". Exhibitors Herald. 9 (24). New York City: Exhibitors Herald Company: 82. December 6, 1919.
^ "American Silent Feature Film Database: Counterfeit". Library of Congress. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
^ "7,200 Lost U.S. Silent Feature Films (1912-29)" (PDF). National Film Preservation Board. Retrieved April 23, 2024.

External links

Counterfeit at IMDb
‹The template AllMovie title is being considered for deletion.› Counterfeit synopsis at AllMovie
Lobby card(Wayback Machine)
Lantern slide

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[1] American Film Institute Catalogue, Feature Films 1911-1920

[2] Progressive Silent Film List: Counterfeit at silentera.com

[afi-3] "Counterfeit". afi.com. Retrieved April 23, 2024.

[4] "Reviews: Counterfeit". Exhibitors Herald. 9 (24). New York City: Exhibitors Herald Company: 82. December 6, 1919.

[American_Silent_Feature_Film_Database-5] "American Silent Feature Film Database: Counterfeit". Library of Congress. Retrieved April 23, 2024.

[Lost_U.S._Silent_Feature_Films-6] "7,200 Lost U.S. Silent Feature Films (1912-29)" (PDF). National Film Preservation Board. Retrieved April 23, 2024.

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