His Secret

A man cannot find work. Even as his wife goes in search of a job, he begins to steal.

Lionel Barrymore is well remembered as an actor in talkies. His movie career included directing several dramas, including the first sound version of MADAM X and, improbably, the Laurel & Hardy movie, ROGUE SONG. His directing career had begun years earlier, and this movie for Biograph was his first, a year after he began appearing in the movies. This being Biograph, it is difficult to say what he brought to the technical side of things: perhaps nothing, However, it is shot with the lead actor in medium close-up and the audience is supposed to imagine him thinking about his descent into crime and the consequences thereof. It works, too.

If you wish to see this movie, a good copy is available on the Eye Institute site on YouTube.