The Deception (1909)

A wife offers to support her artist husband by teaching piano. She can't find work at the conservatory, and ends up working in a laundry, without telling him the truth. When he discovers ... See full summary »

Director:

D.W. Griffith

Stars:

Barry O'Moore, Florence Lawrence, Linda Arvidson

Cast

Credited cast:
Barry O'Moore	...	Harvey Colton (as Herbert Yost)
Florence Lawrence	...	Mabel Colton
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Linda Arvidson
Adele DeGarde	...	At Laundry
Anita Hendrie	...	At Laundry
Charles Inslee	...	Landlord
Arthur V. Johnson	...	Man in Top Hat / Rich Patron's Secretary
Min Johnson	...	At Laundry
David Miles	...	At Laundry / At Conservatory
Owen Moore	...	Rich Patron
Mary Pickford
Mack Sennett	...	Doctor
Harry Solter	...	Harvey's Friend
Dorothy West	...	At Laundry

Storyline

A wife offers to support her artist husband by teaching piano. She can't find work at the conservatory, and ends up working in a laundry, without telling him the truth. When he discovers her lie, he is determined to leave her, until she is injured and he understands the sacrifice she made for him.

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Genres:

Short

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 March 1909 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Mutoscope & Biograph

Technical Specs

Runtime:

7 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

National Identity and Citizenship

The 34 year old D.W. Griffith sheds the repulsive past of the settling community by providing his audiences with a gate to middle class values through short films like this one. It is a dialectic, negotiating what it means to be American.