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Director's Spotlight
Senior Film Conservator
Director's Spotlight: United States
A Deep Dive into the 1918 Vision of Will S. Davis
Analyzing Under Suspicion (1918) requires a deep dive into the defining moment in cult history that Will S. Davis helped create. Defining a new era of United States artistic expression, it transcends regional boundaries to tell a universal story.
In Under Suspicion, Will S. Davis pushes the boundaries of conventional narrative. The film's unique approach to its subject matter has sparked endless debates and interpretations among cinephiles and critics alike.
| Cinematography | Deep Focus |
| Soundtrack | Experimental |
| Editing | Invisible |
| Art Direction | Kitsch |
Visualizing the convergence of Will S. Davis's style and the core cult narrative.
At a high society musicale, millionaire Gerry Simpson meets and falls in love with newspaper reporter Virginia Blake, whose disdain for the "idle rich" causes him to claim that he is a cub reporter on her paper. When the party is interrupted by the announcement that a burglar has stolen hostess Alice Woolworth's jewels, Virginia secures the button torn from the robber's coat by Mrs. Wentworth's pet monkey and is determined to solve the crime. Virginia begins to fall in love with Gerry, who has actually taken a job with the paper, but one day she notices that his coat is missing a button identical to the one that she obtained at the party. Believing him to be the thief, she searches his apartment and locates a cache of jewels. At that moment, however, Gerry's valet Rogers enters, and suspecting that she has discovered his guilt, he attacks her. After Gerry rescues Virginia, Rogers is imprisoned, and Gerry wins his girl's heart by promising to work hard as the editor of the newspaper he has just bought.
Decades after its release, Under Suspicion remains a vital piece of the cinematic puzzle. Its influence can be seen in countless modern works, solidifying Will S. Davis's status as a master of the craft in United States and beyond.