Marguerite Bertsch

Marguerite Bertsch

American screenwriter and film director (1889–1967)

Marguerite Bertsch was an American screenwriter and film director who worked in the early days of film. Her 1917 text How to Write for Moving Pictures: A Manual of Instruction and Information reflected and influenced the screenwriters of the era. In the early days of film it was not uncommon for "scenario writers" to be women and she was among those who, beginning in 1916, also directed films. However, she would later be called one of the "forgotten women" of silent film as the non-acting women of early film largely became obscure. Prints of two films that Bertsch had worked on as a screenwriter were rediscovered in the Netherlands, at the Nederlands Filmmuseum. These newly discovered films, The Diver and The Troublesome Step-Daughter, and the 1914 film A Florida Enchantment, are currently the only films from Bertsch's career that have been recovered. The rest are presumed to be lost.

Filmography in the catalog

Credited on 10 films (1914–1919) — matched by name in the Creator or Credits field. Also mentioned in 13 other records (descriptions, transcriptions, copyright notes).

Year ▼ Title CreatorLengthFormatColorSound
1919 THE PAINTED WORLD. Vitagraph Co Of America 5 reels B&W
1917 THE SOUL MASTER. Vitagraph Co Of America 5 reels B&W
1916 SALVATION JOAN. Vitagraph Co Of America 7 reels B&W silent
1916 THE DAWN OF FREEDOM. Vitagraph Co Of America 5 reels B&W silent
1916 THE DEVIL'S PRIZE. Vitagraph Co Of America 5 reels B&W silent
1916 THE LAW DECIDES. Vitagraph Co Of America 7 reels B&W silent
1916 THE WRITING ON THE WALL. Vitagraph Co Of America 5 reels B&W
1915 MORTMAIN. Vitagraph Co Of America 1 reel B&W silent
1914 A Florida Enchantment. Vitagraph Co Of America 5 reels 16mm B&W
1914 THE MAN BEHIND THE DOOR. Vitagraph Co Of America 4 reels B&W