Editor's Top Picks Following the Footsteps of Call of the Flesh: Cult Guide

Dir: Charles Brabin

Episode 1: "Land of the Intrigue" Taking advantage of his monarch's lack of funds. Prime Minister Simond of Alania, who secretly aspires to the throne, induces him to pass an obnoxious tax bill. Then, with his sovereign unpopular, Simond feels it a good time to strike, so he causes the assassination of the King, Phillip II and Queen Alize, while they are hunting in the royal forests. Capt. Barreto, Commander of the Alanian palace guard, and a loyal friend of Phillip II, realizes Simond's dastardly plan, and when he hears him issue an order for the apprehension of the little Crown Prince, the only obstacle remaining in his path to the throne, he dashes off with him to America, with the aid of Juan, a fisherman. Barreto makes arrangements with Juan to keep in communication with his brother, Lieut. Jarreto. Simond proclaims himself Prince Regent, and with a bold bid for popularity, rescinds the obnoxious tax bill, his first official act.

Dir: Charles Brabin

Becky, a child, is left an orphan by the death of her father and is consigned to the tender mercies of the Misses Pinkertons, who conduct a fashionable school for girls. Becky feels keenly the semi-charitable nature of her life, and, when kindly-hearted Amelia Sedley invites her home, she eagerly accepts. It is then that Becky, the child, becomes Becky, the adventuress, cold, calculating and selfish. With the entrance of Becky into the peaceful Sedley home comes misfortune. Sedley goes bankrupt. Old man Osborne promptly breaks the engagement between Amelia and his son, George. Becky lays her traps for Joseph Sedley, Amelia's brother, and nearly succeeds in her designs on that self-satisfied young man. Urged by his faithful friend, Captain Dobbin, George marries Amelia. This change throws Becky into new surroundings. She goes to Queen's Crawley and enters the most active sphere of her existence. Her adventures with old Pit Crawley, her marriage to Rawdon Crawley, their poverty Becky's flirtation with Lord Steyne and her subsequent separation from Rawdon, the Battle of Waterloo and the death of George Osborne are all faithfully portrayed incidents of Thackeray's novel.

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

Dir: Charles Brabin

A feud has existed between the McLanes and the Conovers in the Tennessee mountains for many years. "Two Gun Carter" leaves Texas after a shooting fray and arrives just in time to witness George Conover's death at the hands of Henry McLane. Carrying young Conover's body to his family, Carter is very moved by their grief that he agrees to become their adopted son and subsequently falls in love with Marian Conover. In an attempt to put an end to the feud, Carter suggests a duel between himself and Henry McLane, but Henry refuses, and so, to uphold his family honor, Tom McLane, the clan leader, accepts the challenge. In the midst of the match, news arrives that Henry has abducted Marian. Carter rushes off and rescues Marian just as Henry and his horse plunge over the edge of a cliff. Carter then demands that an end be put to the feud as he himself was a born McLane and now plans to marry Marian Conover.

Dir: Charles Brabin

Kathleen, the daughter of a poor tenant farmer, dreams of her wedding with her beloved Terrence. The dream is interrupted when the Squire of the estate takes an interest in Kathleen and forces her father to allow him to marry her to forgive the father's debt. Unfortunately the Squire loses interest in Kathleen once a potential gravy train arrives in the person of the exceedingly wealthy Lady Clancarthy. To be rid of Kathleen the Squire abandons her in the forest where she is beset upon by ruffians, but is rescued by Terrence, who is framed for murder for his troubles.

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

Dir: Charles Brabin

Beatrix marries Herbert Buchanan while under his hypnotic trance, although she really loves Harry Faring. When Herbert learns of his wife's love for Harry, he disappears with Kansas, a tramp. Soon after, Beatrix falsely identifies a body at the morgue as her husband's and marries Harry, but when Herbert, still alive though ill and demented, appears at her door with Kansas, she confesses her lie to her new husband. Kansas' plans to blackmail Beatrix are ruined when Harry visits the two tramps, and Herbert, now dying of tuberculosis, pleads with Kansas to leave the couple in peace. Kansas agrees, and after Herbert's death, Beatrix and Harry return to a normal life.

Dir: Charles Brabin

The son of millionaire James Carter, Vantyne deliberately shuns work, which sickens his father, he decides to test his son's ability to become self-sufficient. Carter, Sr. has his lawyer report that he has been killed on a hunting trip, and at the reading of the will, Van learns that, unless he can support himself within six months with only an old farmhouse left to him as working capital, he will lose the family fortune to his cousin Teddy Brown. Van immediately gets busy and, with the help of Arizona Brown, a visiting Westerner with whom he has fallen in love, turns the old farm into a thriving and very fashionable resort. His chance of becoming a millionaire fading fast, Teddy arranges with actress Edith Trentoni to ruin the hotel's reputation by means of a kitchen strike and a jewel robbery. He succeeds, but old Carter finally appears to turn the villain out and proclaim Van and Arizona a successful team.

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

Dir: Charles Brabin

John Heppell, a wealthy young man about town, falls in love with Diana Laska, a noted actress, and marries her. After their child is born he tires of her and goes back to his old way of living. Infuriated at his neglect, Diana leaves him and goes abroad with Philip Goodier. He also tires of her in time, and she becomes a notorious character on the continent. Finally she awakens to the evil of her life and tries to reform. She finds her path strewn with thorns as the world holds her for what she has been. A longing is kindled in her heart for her daughter. Her first husband has remarried and refuses to permit her to see her. Sick of life, she attempts suicide. She is attended by Doctor Maxwell. He instills hope into her by promising to aid her in her attempt to see her daughter. Maxwell is an old friend of Heppell and partly by persuasion and partly by threats Diana Laska is received into the Heppell home as the governess for Heppell's son by his second wife. She meets her daughter only to find that she is engaged to Philip Goodier, the man who had cast her off. Horrified, she tells the Heppells her daughter must not marry him. Goodier denounces Diana, while admitting his relations with her, but cannot understand why she should have an influence over the Heppells. Finally, Diana tells him that the girl to whom he is engaged is her daughter. He consents to break the engagement only on condition that she leave the house and never see her daughter again. The woman who has developed under Doctor Maxwell's influence, then makes the supreme sacrifice of giving up her daughter to save her from her own shame. And through this sacrifice she wins atonement for her sins.

Dir: Charles Brabin

Informed by her husband Ed that they will not be honeymooning at Niagara Falls as promised, but rather at the County Fair, newlywed Peggy decides it is time to assert her independence and steals away to the falls alone, leaving her bewildered husband to follow. After the honeymoon, Ed takes his bride to the home that had been his mother's, and Peggy redecorates the entire house in her husband's absence. Gradually, Ed learns to submit to his wife's modern attitudes until he discovers that her continual visits to the city have not been to the dentist's, as she had said, but to the studio of portrait painter Perry Pipp. Ed angrily confronts Peggy with her deception, forcing her to return home to her parent's house. Later, when Ed learns that Peggy has been posing for a portrait as a birthday surprise, he begs his wife's forgiveness, which she bestows, along with the information that a baby is on it's way.

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

Dir: Charles Brabin

Edgar Allan Poe, while at college, incurs many debts and is sent home in disgrace. He is ordered from the house by his father. Shortly after, he marries, and tries to make a living by writing, but is a failure financially. His wife dies because he is unable to furnish her with even the bare necessities of life. He is plunged into great grief and despair. All night he sits brooding over his loss. Through his distorted imagination he sees the ominous raven enter his chamber and croak gloomy forebodings. The spirit of his wife also appears and finally he himself dies, and is wafted to heights supernal, where he is united with his "Lenore."

Dir: Charles Brabin

Though the Turk has 15 wives, he yearns to make our heroine his 16th.