The Ambassador's Daughter

摘自 "1913 Movies and the Beginning of a New Era" by KeilThe Ambassador's Daughter (Edison)

• the continued reliance on the single-reel format typically translated into increased assurance in handling performance, staging, and editing
• the narrative depends on "double causal structure," insofar as the daughter's actions are designed not only to undo the villains but also exonerate her beloved, who has been falsely accused of the theft
• glove: convey affection through a shared object
• editing rate: steady, though the pace hastens in the film's final sections

"For the most part, The Ambassador's Daughter operates within fairly prescribed stylistic parameters, and this formal predictability complements the film's familiar story. In turn, the narrative formulates that the film relies upon reinforcing widely held social beliefs. This becomes most obvious at the film's climax, when Helen's enterprising actions invite retribution from the conspirators, resulting in her imperilment. The story rests with the male character to be the true agent of salvation. In many ways, this film prefigures the narrative patterning of the serial, wherein the intrepid heroine may initiate the action, but must ultimately depend on a male figure to put matters right. The measure of independence accorded women, both onscreen and off, remained limited, by narrative convention in the former instance and by legislation in the latter."