Silent Film of the Month: The Sealed Room (1909)

 

Run Time: 11 minutes. Studio: American Biograph. Director: D.W. Griffith. Based on stories by Edgar Allan Poe and Honoré de Balzac. Main Cast: Arthur V. Johnson, Marion Leonard, Henry B. Walthall. Cinematographer: G.W. Bitzer. 

Edgar Allan Poe was a major influence on D.W. Griffith and this influence can be felt through many of the director's films. His early feature The Avenging Conscience (1914) adapted two of Poe's stories and one of his short films was even called Edgar Allen Poe [sic] (1909). The Sealed Room is based off of Edgar Allan Poe's The Cask of Amontillado as well as Honoré de Balzac's La Grande Bretêche. 

In this short film a count discovers that his concubine is having an affair with the court troubadour. When he finds that they are meeting in a certain chamber, the count comes up with a plan to get revenge on them. 

While this film can seem simplistic compared to Griffith's later work, it is still very engaging today. As is important for any costume drama, this is a very handsome looking film. It may have a smaller budget but that hardly shows at all. The set designs look wonderful and truly give this whole film a very atmospheric feel. They set designs even help create the suspenseful feel of this short. It helps give the film a delightful claustrophobic feel at times. The set of the court is large and open, while the set of the actually sealed room is small, empty and claustrophobic. This contrast between the two sets creates a great sense of suspense. The suspense is also helped by an incredible use of cross cutting that was well ahead of its time. Cutting between these two rooms helps heighten the danger and makes this film all the more successful. Marion Leonard (who plays the countess) was a constant presence in the early Griffith films. 

Naturally with such a short runtime the story and characters are very basic. However, the visual filmmaking is what this film is all about and that still holds up very well today. Though the cinematography is basic, having Griffith's regular cinematographer G.W. Blitzer certainly doesn't hurt. 

For those of you familiar with Griffith's films, this short is full of familiar faces. The minstrel is played by Henry B. Walthall, who is best known for playing the little coronel in Griffith's The Birth of a Nation (1915). He also appeared in the Griffith features Judith of Bethulia (1914), Home Sweet Home (1914) and The Avenging Conscience (1914) as well as more Griffith shorts than I have time to mention. Arthur V. Johnson (who plays the Count) had played the father in Griffith's first short film The Adventures of Dolly (1908) and would continue to appear in many of Griffith's early short films. 

For anyone interested in watching this film, it can easily be found online including below.