Cinematic Discoveries Resonating with the Themes of A Woman Who Understood: Cult Guide

Dir: William Parke

Anna Mirrel, a young Jewish girl in Czarist Russia, is forced to degrade herself in order to visit her father, whom she believes to be ill. She obtains a yellow passport, signifying that she is a prostitute. When she arrives in St. Petersburg, she finds her father has been killed. She encounters a young journalist and tells him of the crimes the state perpetrates against its citizens. But the pair fall into the hands of the secret police when the journalist publishes her remarks. In order to obtain their freedom, Anna must choose whether to submit to the desires of the sinister head of the police, Baron Andrey.

Dir: William Parke

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Other People's Money perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

The story opens with the broker, who, as the head of the company, was promising quick returns on investments, suddenly disappears. Another "get-rich-quick" bubble had exploded. The case was ordinary, it was averred by the officials, for the man had imposed on a gullible public and made off with their money to live in ease in some distant country. But there was a different story. The man had been the victim of a scheming couple. He was the tool of two wizards of high finance who used him to cover their tracks and take the blame for their misdeeds. The escape of the broker had been accomplished in a clever manner. While his daughter detained the detectives by talking to them, he left the table of a dinner party given at his home and from that time no trace of him To help the needy ones who had suffered by the apparent mismanagement of her father, the girl turned over all her property to the creditors and withdrew to earn her livelihood by working in a dressmaking establishment. Among those who attended the creditor's meeting were the actual criminals and they selected as their next victim a young man who had lost a few thousand in the crash but who could easily afford to lose more. He was very sympathetic with the unfortunates seemed "easy." To enlist his immediate sympathy, the woman simulated an attempted suicide. After the young fellow had rescued her, she told him that her husband's meager earnings had been wiped out by the crash and that they had nothing left. The young man escorted her home and said he would help them to a new start in life. While the woman and the "sucker" were out in the latter's automobile chance intervened to upset the plans of the conspirators. The girl, who had retired after the flight of her father, was struck by the machine. Despite the fact that the woman made sure to inform the young fellow who the upstart was, he evinced a great interest in her. To destroy this interest, the scheming woman tried a novel plan. She had the employer of the girl send the young woman out motoring in expensive gowns, arranged for the young man to see her, and insinuate that the worst possible conclusion was the only way to explain the sudden acquisition of wealth. This trick proved useless for the lover investigated and found that she was merely acting as a model. Various attempts to injure the girl and put her out of the way were tried but all to no avail. Feeling convinced that she was being persecuted for an unknown motive, the young fellow decided to do a little investigation. As a last resort the swindlers had their bookkeeper, who had only been a short time in their employ but had earned their confidence, write a letter to the girl purporting to come from her father asking her to meet him. The girl kept her appointment and found the man and woman waiting for her instead. They threatened her with bodily harm unless she withdrew and they reminded her of how they had disposed of her father. Then they became boisterous, feeling sure of their victim and recalled the details of the plot that had eliminated the father. Their talk suddenly ceased when they saw their bookkeeper followed by the young man and a policeman enter the room. While the crooks raged at the bookkeeper who had betrayed them, the old man smiled, removed his wig and glasses and introduced himself as the fugitive broker. He had determined to disclose the real criminals and, with the aid of the police, had installed a dictagraph, listened to what was said and arranged for their arrest. In the face of this testimony the swindlers were speechless and were silently escorted to prison to await trial.

Dir: William Parke

Reporter Will Campbell has himself arrested and imprisoned, where he gathers information to prove his theory that most victims of capital punishment are wrongfully condemned. Following his parole, Will finds work in a bank with the help of Minnie O'Reilly. When a detective is shot during an attempted robbery, Will grabs the gun and pursues the killer. However, Will is arrested, convicted, and sentenced to death for the murder. His innocence is discovered too late and Will is hanged, seconds before the prison warden receives a stay of execution. Hoping to rectify the injustice, the warden allows a doctor to experiment on the body with adrenaline, and Will is brought back to life. After he is released, Will discovers that his nagging wife has divorced him and he reunites with Minnie.

Dir: William Parke

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

The owner of a resort hotel promotes Tom Gwynne, a college boy working as a waiter, to manager. As a result of his mismanagement the hotel loses several thousand dollars. Tom inherits a million and buys the hotel to continue his experimental management, which is to give the employees time and opportunity for self-expression--to do what they like best to do. With the grounds full of acrobats, musicians, and dancers, the hotel goes bankrupt. The old manager returns, buys the hotel, but retains Tom--now that he has learned his lesson--as manager.

Dir: William Parke

Monte Bixby's grandfather leaves a will providing each native-born citizen of his small town with $50,000 while giving Monte one dollar. Monte's society fiancée, Mary Reynolds, abandons him, but grandfather Bixby's pretty young secretary, Phyllis Andrews, resolves to help him. Meanwhile life in the town is chaotic as the legatees begin to spend their money. Monte becomes concerned, appoints himself mayor, and restores order. Finally he learns that his inheritance was a trick to teach him the value of money. A real fortune awaits him, and he wins Phyllis.

Dir: William Parke

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

A lawyer is worried about his client. He's infatuated with a dubious woman who's scheming to get his money. The lawyer gets the idea to have him marry an honest woman and protect his fortune in her name, but who? "Cigars. Cigarettes."

Dir: William Parke

An optimistic girl survives city life as a shoeshine until she ends up in Children's Court. Just as she helps her geranium, Sally, to grow, a kindly judge sees her potential and takes her to his mother's country home to flourish.

Dir: William Parke

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

Impressed with Margaret Hill's singing ability, Al Levering takes her from the notorious dive in which she is performing and pays for her musical education. Just as she is about to join an opera company, Levering is arrested for embezzlement and Margaret, out of gratitude, promises to marry him when he is released. Later, Margaret meets and falls in love with nobleman John Ordham. Separated during a shipwreck, the two lose track of each other and five years pass, during which time Margaret has become a famous opera star. Discovering Margaret while attending one of her performances, Ordham breaks his engagement to Mabel Cutting and plans to marry the singer. In the meantime, Levering escapes from prison and arrives at Margaret's house. Anxious to save Ordham from scandal, the singer agrees to go away with Levering. Her sacrifice is averted by Scotland Yard detectives, who shoot Levering, thus freeing Margaret to marry her nobleman.

Dir: William Parke

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: William Parke

A young woman consents to a bad marriage to an unscrupulous man in order to save her father from ruin. When her marriage is disrupted by a murder, three different people confess to it.