Suspense (1913)

An isolated house in deserted area is too remote for a servant, who leaves a note, quietly exits the back door, and puts the key under the mat. Alone in the house is a mother and her infant... See full summary »

Directors:

Phillips Smalley, Lois Weber

Writer:

Lois Weber (scenario)

Stars:

Lois Weber, Val Paul, Douglas Gerrard

Cast

Cast overview:
Lois Weber	...	The Wife
Val Paul	...	The Husband
Douglas Gerrard	...	The Pursuer
Sam Kaufman	...	The Tramp

Storyline

An isolated house in deserted area is too remote for a servant, who leaves a note, quietly exits the back door, and puts the key under the mat. Alone in the house is a mother and her infant. A tramp watches the servant leave, then begins to skulk. The woman sees him outside as he discovers the latchkey. She phones her husband, who's working in town, and he jumps into a car idling in front of his office. He races toward home while the car's owner (and the police) are in pursuit. The tramp grabs a knife and heads up the stairs toward the defenseless woman. Can the husband elude the police long enough to rescue her or will the tramp have his way?

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Plot Keywords:

key under a mat | tramp | rescue | telephone call | split screen | 

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Genres:

Short | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 July 1913 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Face Downstairs

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rex Motion Picture Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

10 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A Print survives in the National Film Archives, in London.

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Quotes

The Husband: [on the phone with the Wife] I won't be home until late. Will you be all right?

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Connections

Featured in The Extraordinary Voyage (2011)

User Reviews

Suspense was an effective thriller for its time that still entertains

This silent drama short was directed by Phillips Smalley and his wife Lois Weber who also appears. She plays a woman with a baby left alone in the house after her maid leaves a notice of her quitting. A wandering tramp finds the key under the outside mat left over by the maid. When the mother realizes her situation she calls her husband at work who rushes in a stolen car with police and car's owner in pursuit...While melodramatic, this was quite an exciting thriller for the early days of cinema that still provides some moments today. And how fascinating to see one of the earliest uses of the split-screen in seeing various actions happening simultaneously which in this instance is in three ways in what was called the triptych. So on that note, I highly recommend Suspense.