''An Awful Moment'' is a 1908 American silent

short Short may refer to: Places * Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon * Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place People * Short (surname) * List of people known as ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by D. W. Griffith. A print of the "

one-reeler A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

" is preserved in the film archive of the

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Plot

Judge Mowbray sentences a man, at which a gypsy woman protests. The Judge later goes home and sees his wife and daughter. However the gypsy woman breaks into his house. She knocks out Mrs. Mowbray, gags her and ties her to a chair. She sets up a gun to shoot her dead when the door is opened. However the daughter wakes up and is able to tell her father, who saves his wife, and the gypsy woman is arrested.

Cast

George Gebhardt George Gebhardt (September 21, 1879 – May 2, 1919) was an American silent film actor. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1908 and 1922. He was born in Basel, Switzerland and died in Edendale, Los Angeles from tuberculosis. Selecte ...

as Matteo Rettazzi / Policeman *

Marion Leonard Marion Leonard (June 9, 1881 – January 9, 1956) was an American theatre, stage actress who became one of the first motion picture Celebrity, celebrities in the early years of the silent film era. Early career Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Marion ...

as Fiammetta, Matteo's Wife *

Harry Solter Henry Lewis "Harry" Solter (November 19, 1873 – March 2, 1920) was an American silent film actor, screenwriter and director. Career Solter began his career as an actor in 1908 with Biograph Studios. That same year he met actress Florenc ...

as Judge Mowbray *

Florence Lawrence Florence Lawrence (born Florence Annie Bridgwood; January 2, 1886 – December 28, 1938) was a Canadian-American stage performer and film actress. She is often referred to as the "first movie star", and was thought to be the first film actor to ...

as Mrs. Mowbray *

Gladys Egan Gladys Egan (also credited as Gladys Eagan; May 24, 1900March 8, 1985) was an early 20th-century American child actress, who between 1907 and 1914 performed professionally in theatre productions as well as in scores of silent films. She began her ...

as The Mowbrays' Daughter *

Linda Arvidson Linda Arvidson (born Linda Arvidson Johnson, July 12, 1884 – July 26, 1949; sometimes credited as Linda Griffith) was an American stage and film actress who became one of America's early motion picture stars while working at Biograph Studios i ...

as The Maid * Florence Barker *

Dorothy Bernard Nora Dorothy Bernard (June 25, 1890 – December 15, 1955) was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in nearly 90 films between 1908 and 1956. Biography She was born Nora Dorothy Bernard in Port Elizabeth, British Cape Colon ...

Kate Bruce Kate Bruce (February 17, 1860 – April 2, 1946) was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in more than 280 films between 1908 and 1931. She was born in Columbus, Indiana and died in New York City. In 1885, Bruce left Boone, I ...

* Charles Gorman *

Gertrude Robinson Gertrude Robinson (October 7, 1890 – March 19, 1962) was an American actress of the silent era. Biography She appeared in 164 films between 1908 and 1925. She was born in New York City and died in Hollywood, California. She was the fi ...

as Woman in Court *

Mack Sennett Mack Sennett (born Michael Sinnott; January 17, 1880 – November 5, 1960) was a Canadian-American film actor, director, and producer, and studio head, known as the 'King of Comedy'. Born in Danville, Quebec, in 1880, he started in films in the ...

as Policeman / Man in Court *

Dorothy West Dorothy West (June 2, 1907 – August 16, 1998) was an American storyteller and short story writer during the time of the Harlem Renaissance. She is best known for her 1948 novel ''The Living Is Easy'', as well as many other short stories an ...

References

External links

* 1908 films 1908 drama films 1908 short films Silent American drama films American silent short films American black-and-white films Films directed by D. W. Griffith Articles containing video clips 1900s American films American drama short films 1900s English-language films {{1900s-short-drama-film-stub