The Definitive Watchlist Seeking the Same Brilliance as A Regular Girl: Cult Guide

Dir: James Young

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: James Young

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Missing perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

When a woman's husband is presumed dead in the war, her sister, for her own unscrupulous reasons, attempts to get her remarried. But the husband, it seems, is not dead after all.

Dir: James Young

After her parents death, young southerner, Barbara King, must now live with her uncle Rufus Jamison, who reminds the girl of her mother wasted life when she married an artist. Rufus forces Barbara to do housework to support himself. One day, Barbara sneaks away to exhibit her father's latest work, she meets the artist Gordon Carroll and his father, the governor. When Uncle Rufus discovers Barbara's secret studio in the attic, he destroys the statue of his father, and Barbara then fatally stabs him with a candlestick. Barbara is convicted, sentenced, and sent to a prison.

Dir: James Young

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Unprotected perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

During World War I, young Dorothy Grant comes home from finishing school and informs her parents that she is going to contribute to the war effort by organizing a "Girls Aviation Corps". She has uniforms made and hires a veteran of the Spanish-American War to teach her "cadets" military routines and drills. Her father owns a munitions factory and is always telling her to be on the lookout for spies. She convinces herself that the family butler, Williams, is a spy because he cuts his grapefruit in an odd way. It turns out that Williams isn't a spy but the people whom Dorothy least suspects are in fact spies, and they discover that Dorothy knows the password to get into the factory after hours. They come up with a plan to get Dorothy to give them the password so they can blow up the factory.

Dir: James Young

With the electric-ray machine that he invented, a scientist brings his daughter back to life after she dies in a car crash but he fails to revive her soul at the same time.

Dir: James Young

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Her Country First perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Ted Vandeveer, a lawyer without clients, receives notice that he has been included in his rich uncle's will, he and his partner, James Sweeney, are excited, then they find that Ted's cousin Archie inherited nearly everything. With the $700 left after paying their creditors, Ted and James go to a fashionable resort, where the hotel clerk mistakenly puts them in the exclusive suite reserved for Archie. Passing for a wealthy man, Ted attracts many eligible girls, among them Mildred Niles, the daughter of a wealthy broker. After Mildred and Ted become engaged, James encourages him to elope before the money runs out. When Mildred's father announces that he lost his fortune in the market, Mildred's mother persuades Mildred to elope before the news is known. Three days into their honeymoon, Mildred and Ted mutually confess their poverty and unable to pay their hotel bill, until Ted learns of a codicil to the will stating that he really inherited a million dollars. It was intentionally kept secret until he married so that no woman would marry him for money.

Dir: James Young

College friends Percy Darling and Richard Kettle take their new wives on board a boat going from New York City to Albany. Just before sailing, however, Mrs. Kettle and Percy realize that they have left some baggage on shore, and so rush out to get it. The boat leaves without them, and a distressed Mrs. Darling and Richard, left in each other's company, decide to pose as husband and wife to prevent a scandal. When the boat docks, they learn that the last train has left, and so they hesitantly check into a hotel as a couple and spend the night together. The next day, Mrs. Kettle and Percy track down the "newlyweds" and are shocked to see them in the hotel lobby, arm in arm. The ruse is quickly explained, and the correct couples are soon sorted out.

Dir: James Young

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Lola perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

In Tokyo, Japanese poet Akira loves American Ruth Vale, who was placed in Akira's father's care when her missionary parents died. Ruth returns Akira's affections until she meets Edward, but the American proves an unfaithful husband. Three years later, Ruth is gravely ill while Edward amuses himself with his new lover, Adrienne Chester, but Akira comforts the dying woman with the promise that he will protect her little daughter Blossom. Later Edward marries his mistress, and with Akira in charge of Blossom, they return to America, where Adrienne renews an old affair. When Edward discovers his wife with her lover, he kills him, but Akira accepts the blame to shield Blossom from humiliation. One night Akira breaks out of prison to visit Blossom and although a guard shoots him, he manages to reach Blossom. Carrying her in from the rain, Akira plays with the child until his strength finally deserts him and he dies.

Dir: James Young

Kitty Bellairs is a flirtatious young girl on a holiday trip to Bath, in 18 Century England. Her sister becomes involved in a scandal, from which Kitty rescues her from, all the while leaving a string of conquests behind her.

Dir: James Young

John Maddox, a man who has little use for women, travels out West to make his fortune. On the way he rescues a pretty young woman from a narrow ledge just below a steep cliff. She turns out to be Beatrice Clive, an English girl vacationing at the family estate with her wealthy father, Lord Bulverton. Six years pass and, now a wealthy rancher, Maddox discovers that the Bulverton estate is for sale. Finding himself still attracted to Beatrice, he contacts her about buying the estate, but finds that the Bulverton family is in such dire financial straits that Beatrice has been forced to become engaged to the wealthy but villainous Sir George Trenery.