Overly melodramatic nonsense from D. W. Griffith in which a doormat of a doctor allows his Dad to scupper his romance with a woman deemed unsuitable whom he doesn't realise is carrying his baby. Given that an inter-title states the final act takes place two years after the affair is terminated, it's a bit worrying to see that the offspring is still a babe in arms...
4 Reviews
Solid & Rather Effective Melodrama
Snow Leopard17 February 2005
This short melodrama is rather effective in telling its story, and also in evoking an emotional response from the viewer. Within just a few years, this kind of story would become one of the most common in silent cinema, and the techniques and conventions would become much more polished and well-defined. The technique and pacing in this film are not very refined, but it is a pretty good effort for its year.
The movie starts with a young couple of different social classes courting each other, and they are obviously in love with each other. Soon, though, they run into a roadblock, in the form of the young man's small-minded father. The couple's innocent joy and optimism in the early scenes set the stage quite effectively for the more serious events that follow. Even though the characters in themselves are never developed very far - that is the kind of thing that later film-makers would refine in this kind of picture - the way that the opening scenes are filmed makes the couple wholly sympathetic to the audience, just because it is so easy to identify with them.
While, like many features of its kind, "The Unexpected Guest" is probably going to be of interest only to devoted silent movie fans, it represents a solid effort for its time and genre. Even if most of the techniques are still basic, the construction of the film shows that the film-makers and cast had an understanding of how effective it is to make their characters sympathetic before exposing them to difficulties.
The movie starts with a young couple of different social classes courting each other, and they are obviously in love with each other. Soon, though, they run into a roadblock, in the form of the young man's small-minded father. The couple's innocent joy and optimism in the early scenes set the stage quite effectively for the more serious events that follow. Even though the characters in themselves are never developed very far - that is the kind of thing that later film-makers would refine in this kind of picture - the way that the opening scenes are filmed makes the couple wholly sympathetic to the audience, just because it is so easy to identify with them.
While, like many features of its kind, "The Unexpected Guest" is probably going to be of interest only to devoted silent movie fans, it represents a solid effort for its time and genre. Even if most of the techniques are still basic, the construction of the film shows that the film-makers and cast had an understanding of how effective it is to make their characters sympathetic before exposing them to difficulties.
Even In Philadelphia, Babies Take Nine Months, Not Two Years
boblipton22 October 2019
Our hero falls in love with a serving girl and they plan to get married. His father objects, goes to her and brow beats her into writing him a letter telling him he is free, but she needs to see him one more time. Father snipe out the final plea. Two years later, he is scheduled to get married to an heiress who can help his career. The heiress gets a letter from the former serving girl, goes to see her and finds she is dying after giving birth to the young man's son.
Ignoring questions of basic biology, this Lublin film is badly overacted, and has titles that seem hysterical. It seems remarkable that this could have been produced in 1909.
Ignoring questions of basic biology, this Lublin film is badly overacted, and has titles that seem hysterical. It seems remarkable that this could have been produced in 1909.
The silent drama would be improved if the picture was never shown again
deickemeyer14 December 2014
Warning: Spoilers
A Lubin which seems to be somewhat uncalled for. To place upon the screen the story of a young couple who loved not wisely but too well, and then to have the fruit of that love produced at the man's wedding to another woman seems to be too much of an imposition. The photography is good and to a certain extent the picture may interest those who are thoughtless, but there is a certain degree of delicacy which should be observed about such matters that is plainly violated here. The picture serves no useful purpose. It is not instructive and cannot be called entertaining. The reason for its existence is not plain and the silent drama would be improved if the picture was never shown again. - The Moving Picture World, August 28, 1909
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