The Essential Watchlist that Capture the Essence of Bettina Loved a...

Dir: Rupert Julian

Lucille, a beautiful and romantic young woman, marries John Linforth, a wealthy businessman, who is twice her age, and too distracted by his business affairs to give her the attention she craves. John is pleased when she takes a liking to his young friend, Ronald Standish. After the friendship has grown to romance, however, John tries to keep the two apart. As he is about to depart on a short trip, John orders Ronald from the house. Later that night, Ronald asks Lucille to elope with him, but before they leave, they realize that an illegal union would only lead to unhappiness, and Ronald returns home. A burglar, who, in stealing certain securities from John's desk, witnesses the couple in an embrace, blackmails Ronald into purchasing the bonds. To save her lover, Lucille confesses everything to John, who promises to give his young wife her freedom. A year later Lucille and Ronald marry.

Dir: Rupert Julian

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

Anthony Eckhart, a student of Oriental music, meets Crocker in a Geisha house where he extricates the intoxicated man from the results of an attack upon a waiter. Crocker explains that his wife has left him and there is only drink left. Anthony discovers a woman with marvelous voice at the hotel and falls in love with her before he finds that she is Crocker's wife. He confesses to Crocker and offers to leave if Crocker will leave her alone. Crocker promises an answer, but comes to kill his wife. Anthony prevents him and at last Crocker proves a man.

Dir: Rupert Julian

Italian potter Tony Varralo adopts a waif named Little Tony, and they leave New York City for a ranch out West, with the promises that Tony will send for his fiancée, Carlotta, after he has established himself. Once settled in the Western town, Tony manages to make an enemy of Durant, the town's chief gambler, by refusing to drink whiskey and by freely admiring dance-hall queen Kate Billings, who Durant has claimed for himself. A year later, Tony is well-adapted to life as a cowboy. While he is away from home one day, Durant shoots at a shadow in the window that he believes to be Tony. However, the bullet strikes Little Tony, who is stunned with a mild injury. Tony gets his revenge on Durant and inadvertently wins the love of Kate. After Tony learns that Carlotta has married one of his rivals, he and Kate are free to marry.

Dir: Rupert Julian

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

Ernestine Bergot is a child of the Paris streets. One day she begs a few sous from a student of the Latin quarter. He becomes interested in her, takes her to his studio, and declares he will adopt her. Later she meets Justin Chevassat, another artist, and a mutual infatuation springs up. Gradually Ernestine becomes a beautiful "vampire," hardened to any crime. One day she shoves her benefactor out of the studio window after robbing him of a large sum of money. When he dies as a result of the fall, Ernestine and Justin leave the Latin quarter. To further their schemes they take into partnership Sir Thomas Elgin, who poses as Ernestine's uncle. The woman changes her name to Sarah Brandon her reckless adventures soon make her known as the most evil woman in the city. Malgat, a banker's clerk who has access to the funds, is her first victim. Sir Thomas Elgin, acting as Sarah Brandon's decoy, feigns illness one day while walking in Boise de Bologne and attracts the attention of Count Ville Handry, who assists the supposed sick man to Sarah Brandon's home, where the woman proceeds to practice her wiles upon the old nobleman. In the end Count Handry asks her to marry him, and their engagement is announced. The Count's daughter Henriette objects, especially when Daniel Champcey, her betrothed, a French naval officer, informs her of Sarah Brandon's reputation. The Count persists, Daniel is ordered to China, and Henriette is left alone in her father's home with the mistress of the house and all the servants (by Sarah's conniving) turned against the daughter. Before leaving Daniel has mistakenly entrusted Henriette to the "tender" mercies of Chavessat, tool of Sarah. When Henriette is no longer able to endure the humiliation she suffers in her father's home, she begs Chavessat to take her away to some quiet spot where she can live respectably until she can get word to Daniel in China. Chavessat's treachery imprisoned Henriette in a house of ill repute, where he threatens, by starvation, to compel the girl to submit to his will. In the same building where Henriette is confined lives Malgat, the banker's clerk Sarah ruined, and it is through his discovery of Henriette's identity and his further activities in association with the Parisian police that Sarah is finally exposed at the moment when Count Handry, ruined by her iniquity, is about to commit suicide. Daniel has hurriedly returned to Paris in response to Henriette's appeal, and with Malgat and the girl, faces Sarah Brandon in Count Handry's home. Rather than submit to arrest Sarah Brandon drinks from a vial of poison and falls dead, as the police lead away to prison Chavessat and her other accomplice, Sir Thomas Elgin.

Dir: Rupert Julian

Christoper Foy, who is running away from the authorities, is injured during his escape and takes refuge at the mountain cabin of Colonel Vorhis and his daughter Stella. Stella takes pity on Foy, and the Colonel, admiring Foy's confession of guilt, takes steps to have him pardoned. He and Stella fall in love and Foy remains honest, but when he is accused of cattle stealing, he again runs away. When John Wesley Pringle, who also loves Stella, learns that Foy is innocent but is the object of a conspiracy, he helps Foy by uncovering the plot. Despite his love for Stella, Pringle helps to prove that Foy is innocent so that Stella can find happiness with the man she loves.

Dir: Rupert Julian

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

A propagandistic view of the First World War, showing the political greed of the German Kaiser Wilhelm, the resistance of some of his own soldiers, and fanciful prediction of the nature of the war's end.

Dir: Rupert Julian

Miner Dan Stuyvesant finally strikes it rich, but on his way to report his claim, he is shot. When Jack Dedlow, the head of a gang of outlaws, hears this news, he rides to Stuyvesant's cabin intending to secure the claim for himself. There the outlaws find Stuyvesant's daughter Hilda, the sweetheart of Tom Flynn, and are about to draw cards for her when Dago Sam pulls out his guns and spirits her out the door. Because Tom is his only friend, Sam determines to protect Hilda from the gang, but when Tom suspiciously questions his intentions toward Hilda, Sam decides to live up to the town's poor opinion of him. Hilda saves herself by declaring her faith in Sam and, his spirits restored, he returns her to Tom. Dedlow is killed in a fight at Sam's cabin, and Tom and Sam renew their friendship.

Dir: Rupert Julian

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

A poor man assumes the identity of a wealthy look-alike after accidentally killing him; his wife prefers the new, non-abusive version and falls in love him.

Dir: Rupert Julian

In the act of robbing a set of rare jewels from a museum, a robber is wounded in the hand. Prentice Tiller, while dressing a wound in his hand, overhears the woman in the next hotel room, Gertrude Temple, telephoning Aaron Molitor, to whom she is to deliver some jewels. Posing as Molitor, Prentice calls on Gertrude but disappears when Molitor, who also has been wounded in the hand, suddenly arrives. Molitor's men capture Prentice, who narrowly escapes death in the ruins of an old church and then continues to track Molitor. Gertrude accompanies Molitor and her uncle, Simon Temple, to Paris, where they are met by master crook Chevat and the woman who loves him, Lola Montez. Lola becomes jealous of Gertrude and tries to kill her, but Prentice rescues her. Through a ruse, Prentice, who finally is revealed as a detective, captures Chevat and his gang, returns the jewels to their rightful owner and then proposes to Gertrude.

Dir: Rupert Julian

A heartwarming retelling of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' where Ebeneezer Scrooge is visited by three spirits in an attempt to save his soul.