The Sealed Room (1909)

A king exacts vengeance upon his faithless mistress and her lover.

Director:

D.W. Griffith

Stars:

Arthur V. Johnson, Marion Leonard, Henry B. Walthall

Cast

Cast overview:
Arthur V. Johnson	...	The Count
Marion Leonard	...	The Countess
Henry B. Walthall	...	The Minstrel

Storyline

In this movie suggested by Poe's "A Cask of Amontillado", The king constructs a cozy, windowless love-nest for himself and his concubine. However, she is not faithful to her sovereign, but consorts with the court troubadour. In fact, they use the king's new play chamber for their own lovecraft. When the king discovers this, he sends for his masons. With the faithless duo still inside, the masons use stone and mortar to quietly seal the only door to the vault...

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Plot Keywords:

mason | film d'art | count | countess | castle | 

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Genres:

Short | Drama | History | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 September 1909 (USA)

Also Known As:

Det forseglede Værelse

Company Credits

Production Co:

Biograph Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

11 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Released as a split reel along with the comedy The Little Darling (1909).

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Goofs

Early in the film, the lovers cannot hear the king raving with jealousy, even though a single curtain separates the king from the lovers. Yet later, he can hear them perfectly through the newly constructed brick wall.

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Connections

Spoofed in Long Time No See (1954)

User Reviews

Early Horror Flick

This is quote an enjoyable early Griffith film in which he once more makes good use of cross-cutting to create an escalating feeling of tension. Based on an Edgar Allan Poe story, the film efficiently sets the scene as we see a deliriously happy king having all but one of the doors to his love nest sealed so that only his beloved can gain entrance. However, all is not quite as blissful between the king and his beloved as we might expect. Just look at the way the minstrel's lute playing becomes increasingly frenetic each time the king and his squeeze embrace. Sure enough, the moment he's out of the room, his girl and the minstrel are in each others arms.

It's quite interesting to chart the increasing sophistication of films as the 20th Century approached the end of its first decade. The sets are still stagy, but they are more realistic than only a few years before, and the costumes in this period piece are surprisingly realistic. Future stars are also beginning to make an appearance: Arthur V. Johnson, who plays the King here, was one of Griffith's first, and Mary Pickford, who has a bit part in this film, would soon replace Florence Lawrence as the Biograph Girl.