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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 1513

The House of Darkness

191315 minUnited States

Synopsis

A patient escapes a mental institution and reaches the doctor's home with a gun. The frightened woman inside discovers that music can interrupt his agitation, turning a piano into the focus of the confrontation.

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Video edition: Wikimedia Commons
Original language: No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: not identified.
This copy runs: 14:25
Subtitles: No subtitle track in this language

No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: not identified. No subtitle track in this language.

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · D. W. Griffith · Public domain

Cast

Lionel Barrymore

DirectorsD. W. Griffith

Historical context

The melodrama presents music as a calming force. Its portrayal of psychiatric patients reflects the fear and stereotypes of its era and should not be mistaken for a clinical account.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Wikipedia — film reference Wikidata — film identity and credits

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The public-domain references concern the original films in the United States. Rights can differ for other countries, editions, restorations, music or translations. Sources are listed on each film page.

Availability checked on September 16, 2026.

Photograph credit

Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.

Lionel Barrymore — Unknown author · Public domain

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