Betrayed by a Handprint

Plot

Mrs. Wharton, a fashionable widow, hosts a lavish party at her villa to celebrate receiving a magnificent diamond necklace from her fiancé. During a bridge game among the guests, Myrtle Vane suffers devastating losses and, desperate to recoup her depleted fortune, resorts to theft. The clever plot twist involves Professor Paracelsus, a palmist who has collected handprints from all the party guests on paper sheets. When the diamond necklace disappears, the incriminating handprint left behind on the jewelry box becomes the crucial evidence that leads to the thief's identification and ultimate downfall.

Historical Background

1908 was a pivotal year in American cinema, transitioning from simple novelty films to more complex narrative storytelling. The film industry was centered in the New York area, particularly Fort Lee, New Jersey, before the migration to Hollywood. This period saw the emergence of the first movie stars, though studios like Biograph initially kept their actors anonymous to prevent them from demanding higher salaries. The film reflects the Edwardian era's fascination with spiritualism, fortune-telling, and pseudo-scientific practices like palmistry. Crime and moral tales were popular subjects as cinema sought legitimacy as a respectable art form. Griffith's work at Biograph during this period was crucial in developing the language of cinema, including close-ups, cross-cutting, and sophisticated narrative techniques.

Making Of

D.W. Griffith was only 23 years old when he directed this film, early in his revolutionary career that would transform American cinema. The production was typical of Biograph's factory-like efficiency, with Griffith directing multiple films per week. Florence Lawrence's performance demonstrated the naturalistic acting style Griffith preferred over the theatrical gestures common in earlier films. The palmistry plot device allowed Griffith to explore themes of fate versus free will, which would recur throughout his career. The film was likely shot in just one or two days, with minimal rehearsal and simple camera setups, yet Griffith was already developing his sophisticated use of cross-cutting and suspense building that would make him famous.

Visual Style

The cinematography by G.W. Bitzer, Griffith's regular cameraman, employed the static camera positions typical of the era but with increasingly sophisticated composition. The film uses medium shots for the party scenes and close-ups for the crucial handprint evidence, demonstrating Griffith's pioneering use of varying shot sizes for dramatic effect. The lighting was primarily natural, with the use of reflectors to illuminate the indoor scenes. The camera work, while simple by modern standards, shows the emerging visual language of cinema that Griffith and Bitzer were helping to invent.

Innovations

While not technically groundbreaking compared to some of Griffith's other work, the film demonstrates his early mastery of narrative pacing and suspense building. The use of the handprint as evidence shows sophisticated plotting for the period. Griffith's use of cross-cutting between the party and the developing crime creates tension that was innovative for 1908. The film also shows his developing skill in directing actors toward more naturalistic performances, moving away from the exaggerated theatrical style of earlier cinema.

Music

As a silent film, it would have been accompanied by live musical performance in theaters, typically a pianist or small orchestra. The score would have been compiled from popular classical pieces and stock music appropriate to the mood of each scene - suspenseful music for the theft, lighter music for the party scenes, and dramatic music for the revelation. No specific original score was composed for this film, as was standard practice for shorts of this period.

Memorable Scenes

• The tense bridge game where Myrtle Vane loses everything, the collection of handprints by Professor Paracelsus, the moment the diamond necklace is discovered missing, and the dramatic revelation of the incriminating handprint on the jewelry box.

What Critics Said

Contemporary reviews from trade publications like The Moving Picture World praised the film's clever plot and effective storytelling. Critics noted the film's suspenseful narrative and the effectiveness of the handprint evidence as a dramatic device. Modern film historians consider this an important example of Griffith's early work, demonstrating his developing skills in narrative construction and visual storytelling. The film is often cited in studies of early crime cinema and the evolution of forensic evidence in film plots.

What Audiences Thought

The film was well-received by audiences of its time, who were increasingly sophisticated in their appreciation of narrative films. The combination of crime, mystery, and a moral lesson appealed to the growing middle-class audience base. The presence of Florence Lawrence, though uncredited, likely attracted viewers who were beginning to recognize favorite performers. The palmistry element would have been particularly intriguing to Edwardian audiences fascinated with spiritualism and fortune-telling.

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