"The Golden Louis" (1909)

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OUR DOCUMENTARY

We are proud to present to all silent film lovers our multiple award-winning documentary! In March 2015 it won the distinction "Award of Merit" at the San Francisco Film Awards. In May it won the Silver Award at the 2015 International Independent Film Awards. In September 2015 it won the Award of Recognition at the Accolade Global Film Competition. Of equal merit is the inclusion of the documentary in the Official Selection of the San Jose International Short Film Festival in October 2015. In December the documentary won the extremely prestigious Diamond Award at the 2015 California Film Awards. The amazing run of recognition for our documentary continued in 2016. In February it was included in the Official Selection of the Buffalo Niagara International Film Festival.

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The-Golden-Louis-1909-000

A girl begs for money with her shoe

Directed by       D.W. Griffith
Cinematography by       Arthur Marvin
Starring       Charles Inslee (The Gambler), Owen Moore, Arthur V. Johnson
Distributed by       Biograph Company
Release date    February 22, 1909
Country       United States
Running time          6 m.

"The Golden Louis" is a short drama directed by D.W. Griffith. The film is included in our program to illustrate the work of Arthur Johnson.

There is some uncertainty about the cast of this film. It was released in a split-reel with "The Politician’s Love Story" (1909), for which cinematography was done by G.W. Bitzer and Arthur Marvin. So there is no reason why these two should not have done the same for "The Golden Louis". However, some sources show only Arthur Marvin, while others put a question mark by the name of one or both cinematographers. Thus, until the issue is clarified definitively, we will give credit to Arthur Marvin.

There is also uncertainty about which actress plays the beggar girl - Adele de Garde or Gladys Egan. Also, some sources give credit to Florence Lawrence, but it is difficult to spot her.

We trust that silent film lovers will not judge harshly the quality of the print. Many early D.W. Griffith films are only available in a paper print format, and we are all very lucky that they have survived the trials of time for us to enjoy.

Click to enlarge: