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The Gentleman Burglar
(1908) United States of America
B&W : One reel
Directed by Edwin S. Porter
Cast: William V. Ranous [Arsène Lupin]
Edison Manufacturing Company production; distributed by Edison Manufacturing Company. / Scenario by Edwin S. Porter, from the Arsène Lupin stories by Maurice Leblanc. / © 15 May 1908 by Edison Manufacturing Company [H110565, H110566, H110567, H110568, H110569, H110570]. Released 13 May 1908. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format.
Drama: Crime.
Synopsis: [?] [From The Moving Picture World]? The Proposal: The gentleman burglar walking with his lady love. They admire the grandeur and beauty of nature. He proposes and she accepts. She does not suspect his occupation. Turning Over a New Leaf: The thieves’ den. The gang drinking and playing cards. The gentleman burglar arrives. Announces his coming wedding. Apprises them of his decision to quit his life of crime. He bids them good-bye and departs. Engaged to Another: Reception hall of the girl’s home. A rival lover sues for her hand. She informs him of her engagement to another. He leaves her in sadness. Two Years Later: The gentleman burglar returns with his bride to her father’s house. The joyous greeting. The happy family together playing with the baby on the lawn. All return to the house except the husband. A former pal appears. The latter demands money under the threat of exposure. The gentleman burglar in a quandary. Attempts to steal some money from his father-in-law’s desk. Is discovered and turned out of the house. He returns to his former haunts, where a quarrel ensues. The light extinguished. Two pistol shots. The gentleman burglar smokes a cigar while his pal lies dead at his feet. The alarm and his arrest. A Lapse of Five Years: The gentleman burglar in prison stripes working in the quarry with other prisoners. During the return march to the prison at evening, he evades the keeper’s watchful eye and escapes. Climbs the prison wall and reaches the water. Secures a boat and gets away without discovery. He returns to the old den. Tells of his escape. Changes his clothes and starts out again with his life of crime. Married Again: The former lover has since married the burglar’s wife. She believes her first husband dead. Fond memories of him still cling to her as she views his picture. Her husband arrives with the daughter now quite grown. All retire for the night. The gentleman burglar enters the house through a window. His child discovers him. They do not recognize each other. They talk. He realizes who she is. Discovered by his former rival. The shock kills the gentleman burglar. The truth is kept from the wife and she never knows that the man she loved was nothing more than a common thief.
Survival status: (unknown)
Current rights holder: Public domain.
Listing updated: 15 April 2024.
References: Website-AFI; Website-IMDb.
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