A Beast at Bay
A Beast at Bay is a 1912 American short silent drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Mary Pickford. It was produced and distributed by the Biograph Company. A paper print is preserved in the Library of Congress.
Plot
Four armed guards hunt an escaped convict. The fugitive overpowers a lone guard, forces him to exchange clothes, and steals his rifle.Meanwhile, a young woman and her boyfriend go for a drive. When they stop, a stranger challenges the boyfriend to a fight, but he refuses. The woman calls him a coward to his face, and they part ways.
Later, the convict forces the woman to drive him away in her car. The boyfriend witnesses this through binoculars. Two guards arrive at the train station. Knowing the railroad tracks run parallel to the road, the boyfriend commandeers a train. He and the guards board it and give chase. When the road diverges from the tracks, they continue on foot, splitting up to cover more ground.
The convict abandons the car and takes his captive to an isolated shack. Inside, he menaces her. The boyfriend finds the abandoned car and charges the shack despite gunfire. He breaks in and fights the convict but starts losing. The guards arrive in time to capture the escapee. The woman reconciles with her boyfriend and kisses him.