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

Version of The Great Breach (1909)

User Reviews

Some Famous Names In The Background

I found it interesting that two very famous silent film stars, actress Mary Pickford and director Mack Sennett, had supporting roles in this D. W. Griffith silent film. To add another famous name to the mix, the screenplay was based on an Edgar Allen Poe novel.

Yes, this short film looks creaky but it's one year short of being 100 years old, so you can't expect much as far as a big-budget film. It's hard to relate to much at all, actually, because movies were only 10-20 minutes long at that time anyway, and since there was no sound, the actors acted more like mimes.

Since "talkies" were still almost two decades away, even the silent actors hadn't quite got their acts down yet. You can see the result: insane overacting and wild, crazy facial expressions - actually laughable at times. But, hey, it was 1909. I find it amazing we still have the opportunity to look at a movie this old, and appreciate the fact it's available.