CommentsXp Best movie ever!

Numerootno A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

Aiden Melton The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Keeley Coleman The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

MisterWhiplash So many director's could learn from this. White-knuckle suspense, an excellent set-up and pay-off, and it keeps things barebones enough so that you know just enough about the characters to care about them (perhaps unconsciously the children are all dressed in white to emphasize the innocence, might seem obvious or not to some but it's visually a wise decision), and how Griffith keeps up the tension between the woman calling up her man to get help, the attackers breaking in to each successive room, it seems as if this is a landmark in a lot of ways. It's directed without an inch of story fat, and the stakes keep getting tighter as the men go from one room to the next and the women can't keep them out. It may be resolved just a little too quickly, but maybe not. It seems to end at just the point it's supposed to. I love it and it's one of the best of the earliest short films out there (and hey, Mary Pickford!)

PamelaShort This 1909 Biograph drama cleverly uses a telephone to heighten the stories suspense. A gang of thieves pick a well to do family to rob, by luring the husband away from his home, leaving his wife and three young daughters alone. Watching the husband leave, the gang breaks into the home as the wife and her daughters run to safety into another room, they start barricading the door with furniture. Meanwhile, the car the husband was being chauffeured in breaks down in front of an Inn, as the chauffeur starts to check out the car's motor, the husband notices a sign advertising a telephone inside. He decides to call his wife and tell her about his delay, luckily the room she and her daughters are trying to keep the crooks from breaking into has a telephone. She frantically tells her husband what is taking place, then one of the robbers cuts the telephone line. The husband rushes madly outside and finds a gypsy wagon, he and a group of men race home just in time to save his family. For 1909 audiences watching someone using a telephone was very exciting in itself, and it's use in this manner helps to heighten the viewers anticipation. D.W Griffith keeps the action flowing, making good use of Fort Lee, New Jersey for the outdoor location scenes. The Biograph actors all portray their characters adequately and Mary Pickford fans will instantly recognize the young actress as one of the daughters and Owen Moore as the villain who delivers the letter that summons the husband away from his home. This silent drama is a perfect example of what kept early silent film audiences excitement growing for this popular new form of entertainment.

Michael_Elliott Lonely Villa (1909) ** 1/2 (out of 4)A gang lures a father away from his house so that they can rob it and terrorize his wife and three daughters. There's some great editing at the end that builds up the suspense but the direction isn't tight enough for it to work all the way through. Mary Pickford plays one of the children.Son's Return, The (1909) *** (out of 4)A son goes off to the big city to make big bucks. Years later he returns and ends up staying at his parents inn but they've forgotten him but when they see his cash, they plan to rob him. This Griffith short certainly goes "out there" in its story but I always enjoy these downbeat films where the director could do whatever he wanted and didn't always have to add a happy ending onto the film. Mary Pickford has a small part as the man's love.

wes-connors Three burglars (Owen Moore, Herbert Prior, and Anthony O'Sullivan) lurk outside the Cullison estate. When the family butler and maid leave on a date, the burglars trick master-of-the-house David Miles (as Robert Cullison) into vacating the premises; Mr. Miles doesn't know it, but the lurking trio are planning a robbery. After Miles leaves, the thieves terrorize helpless Marion Lenard (as Mother Cullison) and the three Cullison girls - Mary Pickford, Gladys Egan, and Adele DeGarde. As the burglars bust in, Ms. Leonard's uses her telephone to desperately call for help… For its time, "The Lonely Villa" likely packed an audience pleasing punch; but it's rather ordinary, when compared to director D.W. Griffith's later revisitations of its story/situation. The location footage is a highlight, and the cutting of the Cullisons' telephone cord is a nice touch. Ms. Pickford, with her relatively small stature, makes a convincing little girl. Real little girl Egan shines as the first Cullison who notices something is not quite right… **** The Lonely Villa (6/10/09) D.W. Griffith ~ David Miles, Marion Leonard, Mary Pickford