Suspense

Film duration:
13
Year:
1913
Countries:
United States of America
Original format:
16mm
Sound:
Silent
Colour:
Black and white

Classic techniques of intrigue, suspense and anticipation together with some remarkable innovative camera work are brought into play in this short fictional tale which revolves around a day in the life of a middle‑class family. Husband goes to work leaving a woman and a baby alone at home… outside a prowler lurks… she hears him and quickly telephones her husband – retreating into the baby’s bedroom. She tries to barricade the door… cutting between the prowler’s ascent up the stairs, her desperation, and the husband’s run to the rescue. ‘Suspense’ builds a sense of anxiety and sympathy for the woman, portrayed as a victim of her own vulnerability and reliance on a man.

Description Source: Cinenova Catalogue (1994). Edited by Kate Norrish. Editorial committee: Elaine Burrows, Liane Harris, Helen de Witt

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