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The Midnight Wedding
(1912) Australia
B&W : Short film
Directed by Raymond Longford
Cast: (unknown)
Spencer’s Pictures production. / Produced by Cozens Spencer. / Released 2 June 1912. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format.
Drama.
Synopsis: [?] [From The Moving Picture World]? The big industrial manufacturer, J.H. Duncan, officer of the Legion of Honor and director of Duncan & Co., manufacturers of electric supplies, is very much attached to his daughter, young and pretty Suzanne. Although Miss Duncan is a spoiled child, she possesses grace and charm of a nature that claims her father’s right-hand bower, Peter Morrison, as victim. Young Peter is desperately in love with Suzanne, but his affections are not returned to the fullest extent. At last he proposes. In doing this, Peter receives a stunning blow, for he finds that Suzanne has trifled with his affections and cannot possibly consent to be his wife. The affair so upsets Peter that he decides to leave his employer, and notifies him accordingly. However, Mr. Duncan cannot look forward to the same success in business without the assistance of young Morrison, and so persuades him to throw off the sadness of his misfortune and remain in his employ, at the same time assuring him that he soon would rise to the most important position in the establishment. The young engineer, touched by the kind words of the director, decides to remain, hut the refusal of Suzanne bears grievously upon his heart. After a period of six months, Peter comes home one evening to find the announcement of Suzanne’s engagement to a titled nobleman on the table in his room. From this time on Peter was inconsolable and could think nothing but of the coming marriage of Suzanne to the Count at the Hotel Neville, which was to take place at midnight on the 27th of December. On the night of the 27th he came home, arranged his dress for the wedding, inasmuch as he was an invited guest, placed several suspicious packages in his pockets and prepared to depart for the hotel. Before leaving, however, he wrote a note to his mother, advising that he was now bidding her “good-bye” forever. At the hotel, Peter found Mr. Duncan making most active preparations for the final moment of the marriage. In revenge he pulled out two sticks of dynamite from his pockets, and placed them in the work of the clock on the top of his dresser. The dynamite was so inserted as to go off by contact with the electric circuit at the very hour of midnight, when the wedding festivities were in full blast. It was thus he prepared his revenge, and even if be himself could not marry the girl of his choice he would at least prevent the Count from claiming the one he loved. In the meantime his mother had discovered the note on the table. She hurried to the hotel and arrived just ten minutes of twelve in an attempt to find her frenzied son. No one knew of his presence, however, inasmuch as he had concealed himself on the balcony, overlooking the reception room. Five minutes before the fatal hour, Peter recognized his mother and, realizing the gravity of the situation which would also include the death of his own dear parent, he made one mad rush to the engine room and bade the electricians cut off the current and give him time to remove the dynamite from the works of the clock. In the reception-room things were progressing gloriously. Suddenly that room was thrown into darkness. Terror seized every heart, and Mr. Duncan tried to explain the strange situation. Peter rushed upstairs at this point and gave a hurried explanation that he had accidentally caused a short circuit and that in a few minutes the hotel would be entirely lit up again. Mother and son recognize each other and embrace, only he and she knowing the secret.
Survival status: (unknown)
Current rights holder: (unknown)
Listing updated: 14 October 2022.
References: Shirley-Australian pp. 31, 32 : Website-IMDb.
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