# Denison Clift

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**Denison Clift** (1885–1961) was an American playwright, novelist, [screenwriter](/source/Screenwriter) and [film director](/source/Film_director).[1] He directed in both America and Great Britain, mainly during the [Silent Era](/source/Silent_era).

## Biography

Clift was educated at Stanford University. He began his career as a short story writer, novelist, and playwright. After he started writing, [Cecil B. DeMille](/source/Cecil_B._DeMille) entrusted him with writing [Lasky](/source/Jesse_L._Lasky) [scenarios](/source/Scenario). Clift entered the film industry in 1918, penning the screenplay for William S. Hart's *[Wolves of the Rail](/source/Wolves_of_the_Rail)*. He began a contract writer with Fox, and was promoted director in 1920. Less than a year later, Clift was imported by a British firm in a larger movement to liven their domestic silent films by employing Hollywood directors. He directed a number of British films during the silent era, such as *[Demos](/source/Demos_(film))* (1921) featuring fellow American expatriate [Evelyn Brent](/source/Evelyn_Brent) and *[The Love of Mary, Queen of Scots](/source/The_Loves_of_Mary,_Queen_of_Scots)* (1923), with [Fay Compton](/source/Fay_Compton) in the title role. Clift remained in Great Britain after the transition to [sound films](/source/Sound_film), occasionally directing small-budget melodramas- including *[The Mystery of the Mary Celeste](/source/The_Mystery_of_the_Mary_Celeste)*, which he also wrote- but was predominantly a freelance screenwriter.[2]

His 1929 play *Scotland Yard* was adapted into films twice.

## Selected filmography

### Director

- *[The Iron Heart](/source/The_Iron_Heart_(1920_film))* (1920)
- *[A Woman of No Importance](/source/A_Woman_of_No_Importance_(1921_film))* (1921)
- *[The Diamond Necklace](/source/The_Diamond_Necklace_(film))* (1921)
- *[Demos](/source/Demos_(film))* (1921)
- *[Sonia](/source/Sonia_(1921_film))* (1921)
- *[A Bill of Divorcement](/source/A_Bill_of_Divorcement_(1922_film))* (1922)
- *[This Freedom](/source/This_Freedom)* (1923)
- *[Ports of Call](/source/Ports_of_Call_(film))* (1925)
- *[Paradise](/source/Paradise_(1928_film))* (1928)
- *[Taxi for Two](/source/Taxi_for_Two)* (1929)
- *[High Seas](/source/High_Seas_(film))* (1929)
- *[City of Play](/source/City_of_Play)* (1929)
- *[The Mystery of the Mary Celeste](/source/The_Mystery_of_the_Mary_Celeste)* (1935)

### Screenwriter

- *[Gambling in Souls](/source/Gambling_in_Souls)* (1919)
- *[Rose of the West](/source/Rose_of_the_West)* (1919)
- *[The Coming of the Law](/source/The_Coming_of_the_Law)* (1919)
- *[The Hell Ship](/source/The_Hell_Ship)* (1920)
- *[The Little Wanderer](/source/The_Little_Wanderer)* (1920)
- *[Power Over Men](/source/Power_Over_Men)* (1929)
- *[All That Glitters](/source/All_That_Glitters_(1936_film))* (1936)
- *[Secrets of Scotland Yard](/source/Secrets_of_Scotland_Yard)* (1944)

## References

1. ["BFI | Film & TV Database | CLIFT, Denison"](https://web.archive.org/web/20121022183702/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/individual/1175). Archived from [the original](http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/individual/1175) on 2012-10-22. Retrieved 2011-03-14.

1. ["Denison Clift Biography"](https://www.fandango.com/people/denison-clift-124907/biography). *Fandango*. Retrieved 2021-12-15.

## External links

- [Full filmography of Denison Clift](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/37674) at AFI
- [Denison Clift](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0166700/) at IMDb

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