The Lonedale Operator
1911·17 min·US
Director: D.W. Griffith
ThrillerDramaWestern
D.W. Griffith at his most economically thrilling. A young woman takes over her father's post as telegraph operator at a remote railway station. When bandits arrive to rob the payroll, she barricades herself inside and frantically wires for help. Griffith cross-cuts between the besieged operator, the approaching rescue train, and the criminals trying to break in — building suspense through parallel editing with a precision that was revolutionary in 1911. The final reveal of how she held off the robbers is a delightful twist. In just seventeen minutes, Griffith essentially wrote the grammar of the thriller.
D.W. Griffith at his most economically thrilling. A young woman takes over her father's post as telegraph operator at a remote railway station. When bandits arrive to rob the payroll, she barricades herself inside and frantically wires for help. Griffith cross-cuts between the besieged operator, the approaching rescue train, and the criminals trying to break in — building suspense through parallel editing with a precision that was revolutionary in 1911. The final reveal of how she held off the robbers is a delightful twist. In just seventeen minutes, Griffith essentially wrote the grammar of the thriller.
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Cast
Crew
Mack Sennett
writer
Billy Bitzer
cinematographer
