The Cipher Message

When English crooks Lionel Verker and his sister Marie come to an American seaside resort, Lionel makes a quick impression by saving Bob Kent, the son of a wealthy man, from drowning and is invited into the Kent circle. Spotting a chance to get closer to the family's valuables, Lionel wires for Marie, who gains employment as a lady's maid with falsified references. She studies the household routines and Muriel Kent's jewelry, and after a dance with Lionel a diamond is found missing, setting off suspicion. The film stays intimate and character-focused, charting how the siblings try to exploit their new access while tension over trust and class quietly builds among the Kents.

Released in 1913, The Cipher Message was directed by Francis J. Grandon from a scenario credited to Wallace Clifton. The silent drama features Lafe McKee, Barney Furey, Al W. Filson, Frank Newburg and Adele Lane, reflecting the era's studio-based short feature style.

No notable awards are tied to this picture. It predates organized film prize traditions like the Academy Awards, and surviving records don't indicate contemporary honors. As with many early shorts, formal recognition and archival documentation are limited, so its awards history is effectively blank.

While the movie isn't well known today, it showcases recurring silent-era motifs, such as class tension, identity concealment and theft as a moral trigger. Its scenes at seaside resorts and garden fetes give a window into period dress and social ritual, making it of interest to historians tracing how melodramatic plots circulated in 1910s American cinema.

Critical reaction from the time is scarce, so firm reception judgments are hard to make. The themes center on deception, loyalty among conspirators and the corrosive lure of wealth. Performances rely on the exaggerated, expressive style typical of silent acting, which highlights motive and social position more than interior subtlety.