悬念

摘自Charlie Keil "1913 Movies and the Beginning of a New Era"

race-to-the-rescue

• the first version of a rescue that suggests, from the woman's point of view, what is at stake when an intrusion occurs.

"Earlier treatments tended to highlight the male rescuer's ingenuity or determination, framing the rescue as a test of a man's ability to protect that which belongs to him. Suspense redirects the viewer's attention toward male aggression and female fear, repositioning the rescue an instrument designed to render domestic space safe for its chief inhabitant

• triptyph (split-screen)

"Rather than conveying a sense of speed, these shots offer a rather claustrophobic sense of imminent capture, with the police car often within arm's reach of the pursued vehicle. Tellingly, the emphasis on the mirror relates these shots visually to the bedroom space within its prominently positioned vanity mirror. In its insistence on the shared vulnerability of husband and wife, Suspense downplays heroic to convey the sensation of the threat to the marital bond from an external source."

• treats situations affecting women with sensitivity

"Suspense demonstrates how the race to the rescue, though traditionally aligned with the thrills of an action-oriented cinema, could still be employed for other ends, be its lighthearted social critique or the embodiment of psychological stress."

P 102

P104