Image: Photoplay, February 1920
Ancient Romans in Montecito
Dateline: July 1911
The New Faith was a religious drama that was the first commercial movie filmed in Montecito, CA. Scenes were filmed at James Waldron Gillespie's El Fureidîs estate. This was the most popular spot for filming silent movies in Montecito.
"James Waldron Gillespie's Italian villa in Montecito was used as the background for a Roman play, The New Faith." – Morning Press, July 8, 1911.
The location got rave reviews. "The settings of many of the scenes are extremely beautiful; white summer palaces, sunken gardens, with fountains and mirror pools, making backgrounds very suggestive of Roman days." – Moving Picture World, July 15, 1911