The Lonely Villa (1909)

A gang of thieves lure a man out of his home so that they can rob it and threaten his wife and children. The family barricade themselves in an interior room, but the criminals are ... See full summary »

Director:

D.W. Griffith

Writers:

André de Lorde (play), Mack Sennett

Stars:

David Miles, Marion Leonard, Mary Pickford

Cast

Credited cast:
David Miles	...	Robert Cullison
Marion Leonard	...	Mrs. Robert Cullison
Mary Pickford	...	One of the Cullison Children
Gladys Egan	...	One of the Cullison Children
Adele DeGarde	...	One of the Cullison Children
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Charles Avery	...	At the Inn
Clara T. Bracy
John R. Cumpson	...	At the Inn
Robert Harron
Anita Hendrie	...	The Maid
Arthur V. Johnson	...	At the Inn
James Kirkwood	...	Among Rescuers
Florence Lawrence
Violet Mersereau	...	At the Inn
Owen Moore	...	A Burglar

Storyline

A gang of thieves lure a man out of his home so that they can rob it and threaten his wife and children. The family barricade themselves in an interior room, but the criminals are well-equipped for breaking in. When the father finds out what is happening, he must race against time to get back home.

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Plot Keywords:

children | barricade | burglary | telephone | family relationships | 

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Genres:

Short | Crime | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 June 1909 (USA)

Also Known As:

Magányos villa

Filming Locations:

Fort Lee, New Jersey, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Biograph Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

8 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the shot of the father leaving the hotel, a dip can be seen in the road in the background. Today, that is currently the exit for the George Washington Bridge, and the location of the hotel is now an apartment complex.

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Connections

Featured in Historia del cine: Epoca muda (1983)

User Reviews

Better than Panic Room

This is a good example of an idea that Hollywood uses nowadays. Panic Room was an attempt to make this into a full length film, but it dragged too much to be very exciting. But this short silent film shows the same plot, but without all the unimportant excess. What is left is the original, good idea, and that makes up the whole film. Suspense is retained throughout. Quality film making and innovation that is all too rare now, almost 100 years later.