Reel
In 1915, Cathrine Countiss starred in a five-reel silent film The Barrier Between based on the stage play The Avalanche. It is a sordid tale of love and betrayal, set amongst stock market boom and bust. Sadly, only the first and last reels of the film have survived and can only be found in the Silent FIlm Archives of the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. They are the property of the Donald Nichol Collection of the American Film Institute.
We recently traveled to Washington and acquired a digital copy of the two reels. We are pleased to present them for your enjoyment. Please share this link with your friends and on social media in memory of Birdie Sherman Crooks aka Cathrine Countiss.
The Avalanche aka The Barrier Between, 1915 - Reel 1
The Avalanche aka The Barrier Between, 1915 - Reel 5
In 1911, New York City was bustling, vibrant, and home to Cathrine Countiss. She and husband E. D. Price lived in a new apartment on 135th Street at Broadway in Harlem. This film restored by Denis Shiryaev and Guy Jones transports the viewer to another time when one can almost spot Cathrine motoring to Keith's Union Square Theatre to perform at a vaudeville matinee. Step lively as you dodge that streetcar and freight wagon.
![[4k, 60 fps] A Trip Through New York City in 1911](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hZ1OgQL9_Cw/maxresdefault.jpg)