User reviews

In this short from 1908, directed by Wallace McCutcheon, we can begin to see signs of what D.W. Griffith would achieve over the next ten years. With Billy Bitzer behind the camera, we see the standard Biograph composition, and with Griffith in front of the camera -- along with Edward Dillon, who would become a member of his acting company -- the stage is set -- even though the acting is still over the top.

Wallace McCutcheon's muddled vision of the Emerald Isles features villains with riding boots and crops and ageing policemen getting sozzled on duty. Given the simplicity of the plot, it's fairly difficult to figure out what is going on at times. D. W. Griffith has a small part as one of the Bobbies.

This Biograph drama is somewhat difficult to evaluate. On the one hand, it tells an ambitious story with plenty of action and suspense. On the other hand, it is not always carefully filmed, and you have to watch it a couple of times to make sure that you have understood the story properly. A little more careful story-telling - even just a couple more inter-titles to set some of the scenes - could have made quite a difference.

The story is pretty involved, though not all of it is plausible. It begins with a deceitful land agent who exploits a family living in a cabin, and it proceeds through a number of turbulent events. The story also makes use of the Marconi wireless device, still a novelty at the time, and at least part of the story was probably contrived to fit it in.

There's quite a bit going on, and if the characters and settings were a little more carefully established, it would be more enjoyable to follow the action. As it is, it gets a little credit for attempting to film such an involved narrative.

An Irishman comes home too find his family being visited by a bill collector; so, the father throws the man out. The bill collector enlists the local police, and chaos ensues. As events unfold, the story gets rather confusing. Edward Dillon and D.W. Griffith appear, the latter in a minor role as actor "Lawrence Griffith". Mr. Griffith doesn't seem to have offered much suggestion to director Wallace McCutcheon or cameraman G.W. Bitzer. The story was, perhaps, too ambitious for the effort given. The "Caught by Wireless" stage is interesting, with its timely desk and calendar. Interestingly, the errand boy is not played by Robert Harron. Mr. Harron stated that his school friend James Smith, who also joined Griffith's team, played similar such roles, circa 1907-'08.

** Caught by Wireless (3/21/08) Wallace McCutcheon ~ D.W. Griffith, Edward Dillon

It would have been a great impertinence on the part of D. W. Griffith, who had never yet directed a film, to imagine he could give advice to Wallace McCutcheon. McCutcheon, still much under-rated, was the man who really put US film on the map internationally. His Personal (1904) had been remade in many versions, two in Spanish and one (he best) in French) and The Nihilist (1905) had initiated an entire genre of dramas associated with Russian terrorism. His contribution to the crime genre, The Moonshiner (1904), The White Caps (made while briefly with Edison in 1905) and The Black Hand (1906) were also of great significance. In 1903 he had also made two early serials (sadly lost), The Pioneers and Kit Carson (six and ten films respectively), both filmed on location in the Arondiracks, a remarkable innovation that too often goes completely unnoticed.

This film, with its focus on the British occupation of Ireland and Irish immigration tot e US is another good example of McCutcheon;s ability to frame his films about important and relevant themes. Mutoscope still ran a cinematographer-based rather than director-based system (the so-called director-unit system) which other US companies, in imitation of Pathé, were increasingly putting in place. McCutcheon was the first Mutoscope cinematographer to really emerge as an important director and was unquestionably the man from whom Griffith learned the most and from whose innovations he would subsequently profit - rather sadly for McCutcheon who had hoped his son, also Wallace, might succeed him.

The boy Jimmy Smith, mentioned by another reviewer as having possibly played the errand was, I believe, the same Jimmy Smith who later became one of Griffith's principal editors.

Caught by Wireless (1908)

** (out of 4)

A man returns home to find a rent collector harassing his wife so the husband beats the man to a pulp. Later the collector returns with two policemen (one played by D.W. Griffith) so the husband runs away and soon realizes that he'll have to leave the country. This here is a rather boring short as the story really doesn't have too much going for it. I think you could have squeezed a good movie out of it but the direction is rather weak and doesn't bring any of the scenes to life. A lot of the movie features scenes of the wife sitting at home hoping her husband can return and that's about it. It would have been nice had the director done more to create suspense but that never happens. Griffith, the actor, appears very briefly but you can't help but think he could have done more with the story as a director.