It was called Suspense. (with a period) and I describe this home invasion thriller (yes, that's right) below:
It felt like the time to discuss a short truly ahead of its time, from a women filmmaker ahead of her time. Lois Weber is sadly someone who I knew precious little of before doing some online sleuthing last night; the fact that some of her work was on the Criterion Channel was also a revelation to me. She deserves plenty of accolades for her filmmaking techniques, the amount of work she directed through the silent years, and owning her own studio. She was most famous for her social realist dramas—Suspense. was not that.
Instead, this 10 minute short was a thriller where a wife (w/ infant) telephones her husband that a “tramp” (i.e. a hobo) was breaking into their house, necessitating his dash to the rescue. This was brought to life in stunning fashion, at least by 1913 standards. There’s a POV chase scene involving creative shots using the sideview mirror of a car, a triangle split-screen effect, and tropes we still see today in feature films devoted to home invasion thrillers.
Co-directed by her husband Phillips Smalley, Suspense-which also starred Weber-has made me eager to do a deeper dive of her filmography. If her social dramas feel as revolutionary in their field as Suspense. did in its field, it will be a fascinating journey.
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