Suspense & Lonely Villa Comparison

Title of the film "Suspense".

Cast for the film: Lois Weber as the wife; Valentine Paul as the husband; Douglas Gerard as the pursuer; Sam Kaufman as the tramp

Letter from the maid to their owners: "I am not leaving without notice. No servant will stay in this lonesome place. I will put the back door key under the mat. Mamie.

"I won't get home until late. Will you be allright"

Here the director uses a three-way-split-screen with the husband, the wife, and the tramp. This cinematographic decision can only be perceived as revolutionary for a period which was conquered by the traditional and stagnant reliance on static LS proscenium style of shooting.

"A tramp is prowling around the house"

the director returns to using the unique three-way-split.

"Now he is opening the kitchen door"

"Now he is in the - - -"

Long Shot proscenium style shot

The wife hiding in her room and the deliberate decision to include the mirror.

The director breaks away from the stagnant camera and places it within the moving car, using the side view mirror to indicate that the police are approaching.

This is a very unique scene within the short film in which during the chase, the runnaway car drives over an innoncent man who is lighting a cigarrete in middle of the road. He is hit, in what for the time was a very well executed shot, he is helped up, and the scene continues. This is perceived as a needed comedic pause with the tramp closely coming towards the wife

During this car scene, the camera is placed inside of the moving police car, and adds this layer of complexity within the chase, where the police are close to catching up with the husband. These decision to place the camera on the moving car, as opposed to outside, gives life to such an active scene.

a repeating shot of the camera using an over the head shot from the husband, and on the right side using the side-view-mirror to indicate that the police are extremely close to getting him. Towards the end, the police falls off the car.

Score composed and performed by Robbie Kaye for CBGP

Titles of the film "The Lonely Villa" by David Wark Griffith (1909)

In opposition to Suspense, here the robbers are presented at the beginning of the film, not including the scene of the maid quitting. Taking out this part, makes the start of The Lonely Villa fall flat

The decision of cinematography here of a Long shot in proscenium style shooting, creating a lack of innovativeness.

This is the scene entering the house, the camera remains stagnant, where as Weber using a combination of over-head shots and a more dynamic editing and cinematographic style.

The tramp enters the house, but the shot reminds the audience more of a theatrical performance, rather than a film. The camera remains the same for 2 minutes.

The husband calls the wife to check on her, and realizes she is danger.

In contrast with Suspense, which uses a three-way-split-screen with the tramp, the wife, and the husband, in Lonely Villa, there is a simple transtition of two shots.

In The Lonely Villa car chase scene, the chase lasts only 10 seconds with a stagnant camera, missing a chance to creatively instensify the scene like Suspense.

"The End"