DEATH'S MARATHON (1913) - ♦♦♦

Directed by - D.W. Griffith

Written by - William E. King

Starring - Blanche Sweet, Henry B. Walthall, Walter Miller

"By 1913, it is safe to say that GRIFFITH was extremely comfortable in his craft and his filmmaking. Therefore, he could afford to step out of his comfort zone, and turn his two reelers into incredible films in which he could pack plenty of emotive significance and action packed sequences. 

DEATH'S MARATHON starts as a love rivalry between business partners, develops into an examination of vice inspired by "monotony of married life", and culminated in a race against time as a guilt ridden husband communicates to his wife and friend that he will be committing suicide. 

At little over 17 minutes in length, this film keeps its many plot twists together with compactness and credibility. In the end, GRIFFITH also allows the viewer to imagine future outcomes through a somewhat tongue in cheek ending. The centre piece of the chase shows off the filmmaker's masterful handling of action sequences, which would define his masterworks and that is particularly admired in the legendary, breathtaking final sequence of INTOLERANCE. But on top of this, one gets a feeling of growing awareness of camerawork, which had previously relied upon single shot set ups and a stillness that highlighted stark realism.

DEATH'S MARATHON also features the pivotal teaming up of two GRIFFITH regulars, WALTER MILLER and HENRY B. WILTHALL, who raise the bar with exceptional performances. Underrated, needs to be re-discovered."

Drama, USA