An Unseen Enemy (1912)

The physician's death orphans his two adolescent daughters. Their older brother is able to convert some of the doctor's small estate to cash. But it is late in the day, and with the banks ... See full summary »

Director:

D.W. Griffith

Stars:

Lillian Gish, Dorothy Gish, Elmer Booth

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Lillian Gish	...	The Sister (older)
Dorothy Gish	...	The Sister (younger)
Elmer Booth	...	The Brother
Robert Harron	...	The Boy
Harry Carey	...	The Thief
Grace Henderson	...	The Slattern Maid

Storyline

The physician's death orphans his two adolescent daughters. Their older brother is able to convert some of the doctor's small estate to cash. But it is late in the day, and with the banks closed he stores the money in his father's household safe. The slatternly housekeeper, aware of the money, enlists a criminal acquaintance to crack the safe. She attempts to get into the adjacent room where the sisters tremble in fear, but finds that the door is locked. The drunken housekeeper menaces them by brandishing a gun through a hole in the wall. But the resourceful girls use the telephone to call their brother who has returned to town. He gets the message and organizes a rescue party.

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Plot Keywords:

housekeeper | safe | hole in the wall | rescue | gun | 

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Genres:

Crime | Short | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 September 1912 (USA)

Also Known As:

El enemigo invisible

Filming Locations:

Fort Lee, New Jersey, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Biograph Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

17 min 17 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lillian Gish and Dorothy Gish both started working for D.W. Griffith in the early days of American Mutoscope & Biograph. While it's been claimed that Griffith was immediately infatuated with Lillian, in their first film for him, Biograph's An Unseen Enemy, he thought they were twins. According to Lillian's autobiography, he had to tie different colored hair ribbons on the girls to tell them apart and give them direction: "Red, you hear a strange noise. Run to your sister. Blue, you're scared too. Look toward me, where the camera is.".

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Connections

Featured in Moguls & Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood: Peepshow Pioneers (2010)

User Reviews

Making Movies Magical

Great early film short, directed superbly by D.W. Griffith. In it, Lillian and Dorothy Gish play sisters (is that ever inspired casting?) terrorized by a wicked housekeeper and her male companion. They have the Gish sisters locked in a room, and terrorized them by firing a gun through a hole in the wall. It doesn't sound like much, but the direction makes in exciting (there is a race to rescue them after they are able to make a phone call).

Lillian and Dorothy Gish look extraordinary on film, together, in "An Unseen Enemy"; though, the situation more than a little implausible. Still, the Gish sisters are radiant. Also noteworthy are the scenes with Robert Harron which open and close the drama, earning him a Kiss from Dorothy Gish. The three of them are natural actors, which Griffith (and audiences) could plainly see in this film. Great photography.

D.W. Griffith, Lillian Gish, Dorothy Gish, Robert Harron, and G.W. Bitzer - making the screen magical in "An Unseen Enemy"...

********* An Unseen Enemy (9/9/12) D.W. Griffith ~ Lillian Gish, Dorothy Gish, Robert Harron, Elmer Booth