The Blank Page (1915)
The scientist loves his young wife, but is so deeply engrossed in his work that he unconsciously neglects her. The man, a neighborhood friend, becomes a frequent visitor. One night the scientist has refused to come to dinner as he is engrossed in an experiment. The wife eats alone and later the man comes in. Together they look over an old album of photographs of the two of them in various sports of other years. The scientist is bothered by a vague memory of something he has forgotten. At last he remembers. He has bought a present for his wife, a bracelet, and has not yet given it to her. The experiment has arrived at a stage where he can leave it, and he starts tor the house. The wife and man have turned the pages of the album until suddenly they turn one more page and there is a single picture, one of the scientist. After that the pages are empty. The wife ponders on her loneliness and the man tells her that he has loved her all the years, but did not realize it until lately. Then the man fiercely takes her in his arms, and pleads with her to come away with him. The scientist overhears this and also hears the wife admit her loneliness and tell the man to come the next day for an answer. The scientist creeps away to the laboratory, half-conscious of what he is doing. He mixes chemicals at random and suddenly there is an explosion. The wife sees the burst of flame and hurries to the laboratory. She finds her husband on the floor face downward, unharmed except his eyes and face. The next day he is pronounced hopelessly blind and the man, arriving for his answer, is told by the wife that she cannot leave now, that her duty is to the helpless husband. The man pleads with her that she has all her young life before her and should not be tied down to a cripple. The scientist overhears this conversation, too, and gropes about his bedroom until he finds two revolvers. With these he goes to the sitting room and confronts the frightened man. But the scientist is not bent on murder. He gives the man one of the revolvers and then, to make the thing fair, says they will turn out the light and count ten before firing. He pushes the button and the room is in darkness for five counts, then the lights flare up. The man is discovered at the button. He raises his gun to shoot the unconscious scientist when the wife steps between them and orders the coward from the house.
All Releases
Domestic
–
–
International
–
–
Worldwide
–
–
| Filmmakers | Role |
|---|---|
| Lucius Henderson | Director |
| Ruth Ann Baldwin | Writer |
| Cast | Role |
|---|---|
| Etienne Girardot | |
| Violet Mersereau | |
| William Welsh |
