Death's Marathon (1913)

Two business partners pursue the same woman. She accepts the marriage proposal of the irresponsible partner, much to her later regret. He squanders money on gambling, as his interest in her... See full summary »

Director:

D.W. Griffith

Writer:

William E. Wing

Stars:

Blanche Sweet, Henry B. Walthall, Walter Miller

Cast

Cast overview:
Blanche Sweet	...	The Wife
Henry B. Walthall	...	The Husband
Walter Miller	...	The Friend, The Husband's Partner
Lionel Barrymore	...	The Financial Backer
Kate Bruce	...	The Nanny
Robert Harron	...	The Messenger

Storyline

Two business partners pursue the same woman. She accepts the marriage proposal of the irresponsible partner, much to her later regret. He squanders money on gambling, as his interest in her gradually wanes. One day after losing the company money in a card game, he decides to commit suicide. He telephones his wife from the office, as he puts a revolver near his head. The wife tries to keep him talking while the reliable business partner races to the office in an attempt to save his old friend. Will he make it in time?

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Plot Keywords:

gambling | suicide | revolver | marriage proposal | stealing money | 

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Genres:

Short | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 June 1913 (USA)

Also Known As:

Le marathon de la mort

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, 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?

Connections

Featured in A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies (1995)

User Reviews

Surprise Ending Marks This Silent Film Story

In a short D.W. Griffith silent film, things happen fast. In here, we witness a little courtship from two men, both after the same girl. The woman marries one of them, then has a baby, then marriage troubles and then witness a climactic suicide scene. All of this happens fast. You had to condense things back in the film business in the early 1900s because the average film was only 10-20 minutes long, although by the mid Teens films began to slowly lengthen.

Anyway, the losing beau for the girl's affections winds up racing across town to save the other's guy life. He's the one in dire straits. The ending is shocking, is all I will say.....certainly not what was expected.

Henry B. Walthall, as the fickle and then troubled husband, is the star of the film, although Walter Miller and Blanche Sweet have key roles, too. However, it is Walthall and his strange facial expressions that grab the viewer's attention more than anything else, I believe. (The scene with him on the telephone is pretty haunting.)