A Fool and His Money is an American silent comedy film from 1912. It is either the first film[1] or one of the earliest films[2][3] with an African-American cast. It was directed by Alice Guy-Blaché, who is widely considered the first female film director.[1][2][3] The plot involves a man who becomes suddenly wealthy, takes on an aristocratic lifestyle, and becomes engaged to a woman, Lindy, who had scorned him when he was poor. He soon loses his money to a card shark who immediately wins the affection of his fiancée.
Sam Jones, the film's main character, is played by James Russell.[4][better source needed] No other actors are credited for their roles.
The film was rediscovered by California engineer David Navone, who found four reels of early 1910s films in a trunk he purchased at an estate sale.[5] He gave them to the American Film Institute (AFI).[1] It was preserved by the AFI's National Center for Film and Video Preservation at the Library of Congress Motion Picture Conservation Center.[1] It was shown publicly on July 29, 2018, at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles.[2]
References
- ^ a b c d "A Fool and His Money". AFI FEST. Archived from the original on 2021-04-03. Retrieved 2021-04-03.
- ^ a b c Justin Chang (July 26, 2018). "Critic's Choice: 'Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers' series gives Alice Guy-Blaché her due". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ a b "The Black Kino Fist: A Fool and His Money (1912)". Scalar Summer Institute at USC.
- ^ "A Fool and His Money (1912) Full Cast & Crew". IMDb. Retrieved 2025-01-16.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Alison McMahan (August 2014). Alice Guy Blaché: Lost Visionary of the Cinema. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 147. ISBN 978-1501302695.
External links
The full text of A Fool and His Money (1912 film) at Wikisource
- A Fool and His Money at IMDb
- A Fool and His Money at the TCM Movie Database