The Auteur's Selection In the Shadow of Beneath the Southern Cross:...

Dir: Tom Terriss

William Lanyon, a West Indian planter, dies and leaves all his estate to his nephew, Dick Lorient, a New York society rounder, who is engaged to be married to his cousin, Dulcie Lanyon. Dick leaves to inspect his property and John Stark, the overseer, to whom the estate has been left in the event of Dick's death, conspires to gain possession of the property. In Jamaica, Dick meets the "Woman," and in the Flame of Passion, passes through rushing waters and fires of hell. How he escapes the siren's deadly fascination and the villainous scheming of Stark is depicted herein.

Dir: Tom Terriss

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

The friends of the story are John Drene, a sculptor, and Jack Graylock, a painter. Both men swear eternal friendship on the night before Drene's marriage. Later on the artist runs away with the sculptor's wife. The couple tire of each other, and the woman becomes an outcast. Then Graylock falls honestly in love with a flower girl, one of those sweetly innocent young women found in romance of the Chambers school Her name is Cecelie, and she follows the painter back to Paris. He installs her with the housekeeper of the studios where he lives, and introduces her to Drene, who is at once inspired to employ her as the model for a half completed statue posed by his wife. Drene, who was present when the runaway woman paid for her folly be being accidentally burned to death, has never suspected his friend, but Cecelie unintentionally betrays him. Drene is filled with a determination to kill Graylock at once. He then concludes that this would not be sufficient punishment, and informs the artist that on a certain day he must shoot himself or be killed. As a further revenge, Drene makes up his mind to wind Cecelie away from Graylock. He starts to put his plan in operation, not knowing that the girl has already fallen in love with him. Her gentleness and devotion soften his heart toward his one time friend, and he tries to prevent Graylock from carrying out the compact. The artist fires the shot as agreed, but only wounds himself, and Drene finds peace and happiness with Cecelie. - Moving Picture World.

Dir: Tom Terriss

Raoul Mendoza, a famous swordsman, in order to save his daughter from the temptations of Paris, sends her to the tropical South of France, to live with an old lighthouse keeper and his wife and son. Sometime later Mendoza is stricken with illness and is advised by his doctor to take a complete rest and an immediate change of air. Mendoza decides to join his daughter in the south. Through cunning, Marquise de Bregant secures an invitation from Mendoza to join in the trip and he accepts. Meanwhile, Caprice, the daughter of Mendoza is, quite unknown to her, loved by Jean, the son of Charcot, the old lighthouse keeper. She is also worshiped by Hannibal, an assistant at the lighthouse to Charcot, a mysterious man who was picked up on the sands, shipwrecked and never regained his memory. Mendoza and Bregant arrive at the village and Caprice is at once attracted by Bregant. Jean is jealous, and Hannibal, when he meets Bregant, almost awakened out of his dormant lethargy, behaves in a peculiar fashion. Juliette, having followed Bregant, arrives and meets him secretly. Caprice takes Bregant over the lighthouse. There is a little lovemaking which Hannibal sees and attacks Bregant in spite of the pleadings of Caprice. During the struggle Bregant recognizes Hannibal. Bregant makes arrangements with Caprice to elope. Hannibal finds out all, tells Mendoza, but he disbelieves him. Hannibal leaves and while gazing out of the window, Bregant passes. An old negro in his way begs alms. He knocks him down; the negro rises and he fells him again and beats and kicks him mercilessly as he lies on the ground. The fight partly restores Hannibal's memory, and he returns to Mendoza and reveals the hidden past. Two men went to South America on an exploring expedition, one was the Marquis de Bregant, the other Count Chambord. They were very successful, but particularly Chambord, who located gold mines. Bregant was, in consequence, exceedingly jealous. One day Bregant beat an old porter into insensibility. Chambord interfered, but was soon felled by Bregant, who took the latter's papers and returned to France, where he was acclaimed with high honors, giving out that poor Chambord died of fever. In the meantime, Chambord was nursed back to life by the natives, but his memory never returned and he eventually found himself upon a ship as a sailor until wrecked upon the shores of the South of France, where he remained as assistant lighthouse keeper to Charcot. As he finishes the story, Jean rushes in with the news that Bregant had gone off in his yacht and taken Caprice with him. The shock of such news is too much for Mendoza, and he is stricken with paralysis. Meanwhile, Caprice, who only consented to leave with Bregant under the promise of marriage on the boat, Bregant having told her that he had the minister, discovers that it is all a fraud. He fails in his attempt to drug her, and when he leaves to procure assistance, she locks herself in a cabin. When they reach port, Caprice escapes with the captain's assistance. Meantime, Jean, who has come to Paris in search of Caprice, by chance, one day, meets her. He persuades her to return to her father, who forgives her for her actions. Jean locates Bregant one night in a restaurant with his paramour, and a duel is arranged for the next day. Mendoza's prayer for the return of his strength is answered, and he swears vengeance upon his enemy. In the morning Bregant arrives in the woods to fight Jean, but to his horror and amazement, he meets Mendoza. Realizing he is doomed, he tries to avoid a fight, but is forced to it, and after a very thrilling encounter he is killed. Mendoza, Caprice and Jean then leave Paris forever to settle in the beautiful spot where Caprice spent her childhood days.

Dir: Tom Terriss

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

Emily Cottrell, one of the most respected members of a large gang of crooks headed by Fraser Grimstead, is caught while robbing the home of wealthy David Parrish. Emily accepts David's offer of a home and a chance to go straight, but Grimstead is unwilling to lose her, and he insists that she help him steal the famous diamond collar, The Tower of Jewels, which is in David's possession. When Emily refuses, Grimstead threatens to expose her past to Wayne Parrish, her benefactor's son with whom she is in love. Grimstead and the gang surround the Parrish home, then Wayne's cousin removes the jewel case to throw suspicion on her rival for Wayne's affections. Emily's innocence is established later, and her reputation is further cleared by Grimstead, who is shot by the police. With his dying breath, Grimstead describes Emily's gentle birth and states that she is fit to marry Wayne.

Dir: Tom Terriss

John Burkett Ryder, "the richest man in the world," determines to discredit a judicial decision which works against the interest of his millions by discrediting its author, Judge Rossmore, and causes impeachment charges to be laid against him in Congress. The judge's daughter Shirley Rossmore, learns of his trouble and returns home from Paris, where she has won success as a writer. She is loved by Jefferson Ryder, son of the magnate who is slowly killing her father. Determined to force the millionaire's hand, she publishes "The American Octopus" under a pseudonym, using Burkett's character as the central figure. He is attracted by the book and brings Shirley, whom he knows as Sarah Green, to his home to write his biography. This is the opportunity she is seeking, as it gives her a chance to obtain the two letters which will clear her father's name. Jefferson Ryder helps her secure the desired papers, but his father catches him and denounces him as a thief. Shirley, who loves Jefferson, cannot stand to see him so branded and confesses her identity to his father. The "Lion" had long since been won by the charm of the "Mouse," and the story is cleared up in pleasing style. - Moving Picture World 1919.

Dir: Tom Terriss

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

The opening picture finds Edith (Alice Joyce) in prison where she has been for the last three years. She is a widow and her baby has been placed in an institution. She is paroled, finds her child and steals him from the asylum. After wandering around she finally obtains a position in a department store, where Jim Roberts, superintendent, falls in love with her. They are married, but she fails to tell him of her past. Mabel, also freed from prison, demands that Edith join with her and her side partner in a crime, under threat of exposing her past to Jim. Jordan, a friend of Jim's visits them. He is a detective, and recognizes Edith as a former thief. Further to involve her, Mable, hiding from the police, forces Edith to give her refuge in her home, where she immediately proceeds to steal everything in sight, money being her particular passion. Jordan tells Jim he is harboring a thief and he tells Edith she must leave, but Edith, still fearing Mabel, confesses to the theft of money and Mable is allowed to stay. The two men then plan to trap Mable by placing $400 in a desk. As Edith takes the money from the desk, lights are flashed on and she stands before the two men as the thief. The distracted girl now tells her husband of her first theft to save her baby and of her present attempt to keep her past from him. The men have a battle, the detective gets badly beaten up, but is moved by her great courage, gives her back to Jim and the child and through his efforts she obtains a free pardon. - Review from Variety, May 10, 1918.

Dir: Tom Terriss

Young, innocent, confiding, it is a shock to Ann Fenton to learn that her supposed husband is not a business man, but a gambler, and that her marriage is bigamous. The child is taken from her by a Helping Hand Society and apprenticed to a brutal farmer. She is left upon her own resources. Seven years later Fenton again crosses her path, but she finds happiness in honorable marriage while her betrayer is taken away to face a murder charge, and the Song of the Soul now rises in full, pure tones from the breast of the happy wife and mother.

Dir: Tom Terriss

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

Louise Grayling escapes from a straight-laced aunt on a plea that she wants to visit her uncle, Captain Abe, on Cape Cod. Abe is henpecked by his housekeeper and rather looked down upon by the villagers who haunt his store. To give himself a fictitious glory he invents a fictitious brother, Amzon, who is a composite of all the pirates from Blackbeard to the food profiteers. Louise penetrates the deception and induced Abe to go away and come back as the fictitious brother. She has the time of her life keeping the placid Abe up to the reputation of his fire-eating brother, but all would have gone well had not some shipwrecked East Indians imagined that they recognized him as the desecrator of their Temple. Between them and the town people, who get the idea that Abe has been murdered by Amzon, Louise has her hands full, but Abe is transformed into his proper self, and a supposed fisherman who turns out to be a young millionaire rescues her from the mob and all ends happily after all. - Moving Picture World.

Dir: Tom Terriss

The story is of Angelina Allende, who is left an orphan by the suicide of her father, a real-estate visionary who has beggared not only himself but his friends in a vain attempt to "boom" the deserted hamlet of Anne's Bridge. Receiving news of his death, Angelina returns home, where she is presently inveigled into a trip to New York by two men, one of whom wants the property and the other of whom wants Angelina. In a restaurant scene which follows, Bink, the elder of the conspirators, makes advances to Angelina, is repulsed and then is shot by Wolver his fellow conspirator. The police enter, Angelina is accused of the shooting, and she is sentenced at length to a three-years' term in a home for delinquent girls. Emerging at the expiration of her sentence, she returns to Anne's Bridge. Here, in the lonely days that follow, she advertises for boarders and is at last rewarded by the appearance of James Deane. It is here that the love story begins; and it progresses until Angelina is cleared, through Deane's efforts, and, finally, is free to marry him. - New York Dramatic Mirror, November 10, 1917.

Dir: Tom Terriss

John Sark is the owner of a piece of land coveted by Henry Murden, leader of the band of "White Riders," who has purloined the information that a railroad wishes to buy the property. Sark is a naturalist and has for an assistant Rose Ember. He discovers one of the rider's masks which is made of one of Rose's handkerchiefs, and this introduces a mysterious element into the love affair. The mask belonged to her father. The riders try to force Sark's hand, but are obliged to capture him. Rose, seeing Sark lead away, dons a mask and riding close to his horse, cuts his bonds. Sark kills Murden, and, finding that his savior was Rose, is once more happy in his love. - Moving Picture World 1919.