Best movie of this year hands down!

So much average

An Exercise In Nonsense

Blistering performances.

I loved this movie, and I loved Arthur V. Johnson's performance in it. I have seen him in several movies, and he was always excellent in them. He is described as a "pioneer actor and director of the early American silent film era", but an even better description would be "the first great actor in silent films", and he was certainly great in this movie! I do not think he over-acted: he was required to play a man outraged by his woman's infidelity, and that is how he acted it. Much credit should be given to director D.W. Griffith, and to co-stars Marion Leonard and Henry B. Walthall, who both turned in excellent performances. Considering this movie was made in 1909, I would say it is a superior movie, and I definitely recommend it!

D.W Griffith's "The Sealed Room" basically is a variation on Griffith's interest on French-esque settings inspired from his obsession with French Film D'art School. ... Even with that in mind, I personally feel that it had his calibre in concentrating with emotional turmoil and his blueprint of heart filled vignettes in a great state of pandemonium. The human condition is seldom analysed, but the real external floods of it are definitely overt.Henry B Walthall, famous for the Confederate he played subsequently in "Birth of a Nation" plays a grandiose man and owner of a castle. He is in love with another woman and is in conflict with an interloper who is trying to raid his castle; he is sealed from any physical contact, surviving through hope, love and courage - However way they are integrated, it leaves on an open ending notwithstanding that. To me this is a quintessential movie to be viewed; the delicate and careful readiness of costume design and interiors, while very worn out, feels valuable to me and every bit of architecture in the movie. Albeit it lacks suspense, the movie ventures into an amazing Period and Foreign type of Genre, with elements that revive the early cinema novelty.

Sealed Room, The (1909) *** (out of 4) D.W. Griffith's version of Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Cask of Amontillado' has a King learning that his wife is cheating on him so he seals her and her lover behind a brick wall. This short film manages to have some nice suspense as well as some very good direction from Griffith who gets everything he can out of the story in such a short running time. The ending is wonderfully wicked as well.You've got several options when viewing this title. Image, Kino, Grapevine and a couple public domain companies have released it.

Had this movie been made a few years later, I would have given it a lower score. However, for 1909, this was a dandy little movie and still stands up pretty well today. Just don't try to compare this silent film to later silents--the industry changed so radically that the shorts of the first decade of the 20th century don't look at all like movies made in the 1910s and beyond.This movie is 11 minutes long (about average for most films back then) and is a variation of the Edgar Allen Poe story, THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO. While many are familiar with the story, I won't elaborate further as I don't want to ruin the film. Just suffice to say that it's very creepy!!