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The Avalanche (1919 film)

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The Avalanche
Newspaper advertisement (1919)
Directed byGeorge Fitzmaurice
Written byOuida Bergere (scenario)
Based onThe Avalanche: A Mystery Story
by Gertrude Atherton
Produced byAdolph Zukor
Jesse L. Lasky
StarringElsie Ferguson
Lumsden Hare
Warner Oland
Zeffie Tilbury
CinematographyArthur C. Miller
Production
company
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • June 22, 1919 (1919-06-22)
Running time
50+ minutes
(5 reels at 5,273 ft)
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent (English intertitles)

The Avalanche is a 1919 American silent drama film about gambling directed by George Fitzmaurice who also served as the film's art director. William Scully was the assistant director to Fitzmaurice. The film stars Elsie Ferguson and Warner Oland. Ferguson plays a dual role in the film, portraying both mother and daughter.

This is the first film that teamed director Fitzmaurice and star Ferguson. Some scenes were filmed in Lake Placid, New York.[1] Ferguson's gowns were by the designer Callot Soeurs.[2][3]

Cast

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Plot

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After her father, the owner of a gambling house in Spain, is murdered and her husband, a hardened gambler, commits suicide, Chichita takes her little girl and abandons her in a convent. There, little Helene will be raised by the nuns until, fifteen years later, now grown up, the girl escapes.

She meets and marries novelist Price Ruyler. Soon domestic life bores the young bride who, in New York City, becomes fascinated by nightlife and gambling. One of the gambling saloons she frequents belongs to Nick Delano, Chichita's second husband. Helene, addicted to gambling, suffers heavy losses. She tries to cover them with her jewelry, even stealing money from her husband's wallet, but gets in over her head.

Her mother, who has recognized her, wants to help her but Delano, discovering the bond between the two women, telephones Price. Helene struggles with Delano, who accidentally falls from the balcony and dies. To protect her daughter, Mrs. Delano blames herself for her husband's death and, in prison, poisons herself.

Years later, sitting in front of a burning fireplace, Helene quietly embroiders while Price embraces her affectionately.

Elsie Ferguson and Lumsden Hare in The Avalanche

Preservation

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With no prints of The Avalanche located in any film archives, it is considered a lost film.[4] In February of 2021, the film was cited by the National Film Preservation Board on their Lost U.S. Silent Feature Films list.[3][5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ MacKenzie, Mary (2007). "Lake Placid and the Silent Film Industry". In Manchester, Lee (ed.). The Plains of Abraham. A History of North Elba and Lake Placid. Utica, New York. p. 360.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. ^ The American Film Institute Catalog Feature Films: 1911-20 published by The American Film Institute, 1988 edit.
  3. ^ a b "The Avalanche". afi.com. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  4. ^ "American Silent Feature Film Database: The Avalanche". Library of Congress. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  5. ^ "7,200 Lost U.S. Silent Feature Films (1912-29)" (PDF). National Film Preservation Board. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
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