The Sealed Room
The Sealed Room is an eleven-minute film released in 1909. Directed by D.W. Griffith, the film's cast included Arthur V. Johnson, Marion Leonard, Henry B. Walthall, Mary Pickford, and Mack Sennett. The film was also known as The Sealed Door.[1]
| The Sealed Room | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | D.W. Griffith |
| Written by | Honoré de Balzac Edgar Allan Poe Frank E. Woods |
| Starring | Arthur V. Johnson Marion Leonard Henry B. Walthall Mary Pickford Mack Sennett |
| Music by | Robert Israel |
| Cinematography | G.W. Bitzer |
| Distributed by | Biograph Company |
Release date |
|
Running time | 11 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent film |
Released in split-reel with The Little Darling.
Plot
The film's theme of immurement draws inspiration from Balzac's "La Grande Bretêche",[2] and Edgar Allan Poe's "The 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 trysts. 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. The two lovers suffocate and the film ends.
Cast
- Arthur V. Johnson as The Count
- Marion Leonard as The Countess
- Henry B. Walthall as The Minstrel
others
- Linda Arvidson as A Lady-in-Waiting
- William J. Butler as Nobleman at Court
- Vernon Clarges as Nobleman at Court
- Owen Moore as Nobleman at Court
- George Nichols as Workman
- Anthony O'Sullivan as Workman
- Mary Pickford as A Lady-in-Waiting
- Gertrude Robinson as A Lady-in-Waiting
- Mack Sennett as A Soldier
- George Siegmann as Nobleman at Court
Notes
- Langman, 1998, p. 34
- Gunning, 1994, pp. 177-178
References
- Gunning, Tom (1994). D.W. Griffith and the origins of American narrative film: the early years at Biograph. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-06366-X.
- Langman, Larry (1998). American Film Cycles: The Silent Era. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 0-313-30657-5.
- The Sealed Room at silentera.com
External links
- The Sealed Room on IMDb
- The Sealed Room is available for free download at the Internet Archive
- The Sealed Room on YouTube