this period melodrama be one of griffith early claustrophobic film . character trap within a room be prevalent throughout his work and and a time go by and he would become increasingly adept at portray their helplessness and involve the audience in their terror . in the bluntly title sealed room there be one major difference to the normal plot line and in that there truly be no escape . griffith achieve the claustrophobic effect here in two way . first be his use of space . while the typical biograph short might utilise a dozen or more set and the sealed room feature only two adjoin room the king court and the dove cote that become the eponymous tomb . the set design in these short be rarely referenced and but here it be crucial . the court be a large interior and with a backdrop hinting at great depth and show u a window and a staircase . actor enter and leave from various direction and suggest the room be not only spacious but also free and open . by contrast the dove cote back wall be very close to the camera and and the angle in it suggest a hexagonal or octagonal shape make it seem even more confined . the second technique on display here be the cross cutting . anyone with an interest in griffith work will probably know about his heavy use and development of cross cut to build excitement or tension . many will also know that strictly speak it wasn not his invention . however what make griffith cross cut so effective be the way he pace the opposing image so they complement each other . the sealed room contain a good example of what i mean . the shot of the mason shift the heavy brick have a slow and step by step pace to them and with tension building a the wall get high . this movement be match by the shot of the blissfully unaware lover and in which marion leonard tear off flower petal one by one . a the couple realise their predicament and their rising panic be complement by the oppose shot of the king madly thrash his sword against the wall . at this point and griffith be yet to realise that the action could be heighten further by introduce a third strand to the cross cut . the dramatic ride to the rescue and here absent and be later to become a standard climax to griffith picture .