Essential Cult Cinema Drawn from the Same DNA as Chicot the Jester:...

Dir: Emile Chautard

Perpetua is a rich little orphan with a guardian very much older than herself. This man is an absent-minded dreamer, unaware of his responsibility to Perpetua. The girl wants to live in her guardian's house, but instead is sent to her father's half-sister, Miss Majerdie, an angular spinster of 60 with a predilection for monkeys, parrots, cats, and dogs. Perpetua is not happy in this antique environment, so she runs away and forces herself upon her guardian, Thaddeus. He endures her for a time and finally ships her back to his sister's. The pretty girl is pursued by several suitors whose ardor cools when she is said to be not worth a cent. And here the moody guardian steps in. He has loved the girl but her wealth has prevented him from declaring his affection for her. But now that she is poor, he doesn't hesitate to offer himself.

Dir: Emile Chautard

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

With the $1,000 prize money that wharf rat Michael Regan wins boxing, he is able to purchase a saloon and a freight-handling concern and begin his rise to success. By persuading his men to work for half the standard rate, Regan gains control of grain-shipping contracts held by his rival, the once wealthy James Griswold, now on the verge of bankruptcy because of Regan. When Regan meets and falls in love with Emily Griswold, he offers to merge with Griswold for permission to court Emily. She marries Regan, but remains a wife in name only. When Griswold's son provokes a strike, Regan's friend, Porkey McCoy, hits the young Griswold with a brick as he makes a speech. Regan is arrested as an instigator, but McCoy's wife insists that her husband confess. In prison, Regan turns over his property to Emily and releases her from their marriage, but she has grown to love him and refuses. When he is released, they resume their marriage and become the godparents to McCoy's son.

Dir: Emile Chautard

General Wayne, a proud old American patriot, and his two sons: Captain Stephen Wayne, an army officer, and Anthony Wayne, a successful young portrait painter, valiantly maintain the tradition of the Wayne family honor. Anthony is engaged to Doris Leighton, a girl of refinement, but he becomes infatuated with Marcia Quesnay, emotional actress and enchantress. He disgraces his family by his devotion to her, and, lured on by her demands, abandons his promising career. Stephen Wayne, meeting her in an endeavor to compel her to release Anthony from his unfortunate entanglement, falls sincerely in love with her and she with him. Later, with the dawning of this first real love of her life. Marcia renounces her butterfly life and becomes a tender and self-sacrificing woman. She returns all of Anthony's gifts, giving them to Stephen for safe keeping. In order to disillusion Anthony she causes him to believe she is only a common woman and he turns from her in disgust. Led on by Eric Mainwaring, an actor in love with Marcia, who tells Anthony that Marcia is a woman to be bought and not loved, Anthony is persuaded to steal from his father's safe government funds placed there by Stephen, and is cheated of the money at cards by Eric. Stephen, discovering the theft, goes to Marcia's apartment to confront her with the result of her influence over Anthony, and is there in time to rescue her from Eric, who comes with the money he has cheated from Anthony, to persuade Marcia to go abroad with him. Stephen forces Eric to disgorge the stolen funds and to leave in fear o£ the authorities. The following morning Anthony, penniless, an outcast and a thief, is saved from committing suicide by Doris. His father discovering the theft and accusing Anthony, urges him on to suicide, telling his son that honorable death is better than a life of dishonor. Stephen arrives with Marcia in time to avert the tragedy, telling a lie to save Anthony in the eyes of his father and Doris, that it was he (Stephen) who took the money from the safe, at the same time producing the bills to substantiate his claim. A general reconciliation follows. When his father sees Marcia standing beside Stephen he fears that this other son has been ensnared, but Stephen tells them that they have all misjudged her, and that she is going to enhance the family honor by becoming his wife.

Dir: Emile Chautard

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

When a judge is financially ruined by Peter Brownley, a Wall Street millionaire, his daughter seeks revenge by getting a job in the tycoon's office. She manages to discover information that she believes her father can use to recover his swindled money and do to Peter what he did to her father. However, she meets and falls in love with Robert, the son of the man who ruined her father. Complications ensue.

Dir: Emile Chautard

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: Emile Chautard

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Friday the 13th perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Robert Hendricks, who is a rich young bachelor, becomes infatuated with Myra, a beautiful, but evil, dancer of a New York dancing resort. He invites her to his apartment, where his attorney calls unexpectedly. Hendricks sends Myra in an adjoining room and receives the lawyer, who comes to tell him that he is leaving for Europe and wishes to turn over $20,000 in unregistered securities, as the balance of the estate of Hendricks' father, of which he was trustee. Myra pricked her ears at this, and peeking through the portieres, saw Hendricks place the securities in a concealed wall-safe. After the departure of the lawyer, Myra comes out of seclusion and Hendricks tells her to remain in his rooms until his return, as he wishes to speak to his broker at once regarding the bonds. The moment Hendricks leaves the apartment, Myra phoned to her pals a band of crooks, telling them to hurry there for a rich haul. They were just taking the bonds out of the safe as Hendricks returned. In the fight that ensued, one of the crooks, Myra's lover, was accidentally killed by Myra's own hand. When Hendricks realized the full significance of the situation, rather than turn the girl over to the police, magnanimously allows the girl to escape. The years pass and Hendricks becomes a serious reformer, forceful and effective. He is sent for as the head of his society to clean up the fearfully immoral conditions prevailing in an Alaskan mining camp. Unknown to Hendricks, Myra is the sinister influence of the camp, where she conducts a dance hall. The mystery of the place is the presence there of a beautiful unsullied young girl known as Velma. She is supposed to be Myra's niece. Despite the vicious conditions surrounding her, Velma is innocent of evil, with the pure heart of a young girl. Hendricks falls in love with her, but Myra has already promised the girl to the bully of the camp, a huge, uncouth ruffian, who has "struck it rich" and who can pay Myra's price for Velma. Father Harrigan comes to the assistance of the good little girl and is pleased to learn of her true love for Hendricks. However, to prevent Hendricks marrying the girl, Myra reveals her identity to him, who hitherto had not suspected it, and declares that Velma is his own daughter, the offspring of their illicit relationship years before. Driven half mad by the hideous lie, Hendricks sets out in pursuit of the bully who has carried off Velma after a desperate fight in Myra's dance hall in which the woman is fatally wounded. Eventually he comes to grips with the ruffian. The bully goes to a fearful death, while fate unravels Hendricks' tangled love and he gathers Velma in his arms after her true identity was revealed by the dying Myra.

Dir: Emile Chautard

During an entertainment given by Engineer Dechelette, the former model Fanny Legrand comes across Jean Gaussin D'Armondy, who is studying law in Paris. On the eve of breaking away from her, he happens to hear that she is no other than the celebrated Sapho, Sapho called on Jean from time to time at his student's quarters and after nursing him through a long illness, she succeeds in deciding him to keep her with him. Sapho is happy in finding a small apartment where they shelter their love. One day the sculptor, Goudal, lifted a corner of the veil that hid Sapho's past. This made Jean jealous and Sapho appeased him by the surrender of her old letters. The sudden blaze of those innumerable papers caused the chimney of the house to catch fire. Neighbors rushed in and among the rescuers, Sapho recognized her father, the old driver. Ashamed, she dreaded that Jean's refined nature would take umbrage at the new stain. The initial frail link has been turned into a solid chain that nothing can break. At times Jean is indignant and revolts, but Sapho always gets the better of him. After some high words with Sapho, and on the invitation of his uncle Cesaire, Jean takes a trip to his home. As soon as he returns, Sapho regains her hold on him. Rosario Sanchez, a former friend of Sapho, whom she has made stewardess of her mansion, invites Jean and his mistress to luncheon. On that occasion, Rosario introduces Jean to DePotter, the celebrated musician. Sapho's friends make fun of her disinterested love. Disgusted at his bondage, DePotter tells Jean, as an example of what he is to expect of the hard life he leads with Rosario. A few days later, it is decided to leave the mansion and go to live at Chaville, close to the Hetteman's. At the pressing request of Sapho, Jean adopts a child, in total ignorance that the child is the son of Flamant, condemned for forgery. That day, in celebration of their installation at Chaville, they all have a picnic in the woods. It is there that they meet Irene Bouchereau, niece of the family doctor. This causes a terrible quarrel, which is only stopped by the sound of Hetteman's horn. One day Dr. Bouchereau meets Jean in a train and invites him to his house. The young people are pleased with each other. Then comes Jean on the eve of marrying the doctor's niece. Sapho compels him to give up all thoughts of marriage. Recognizing that his life is irretrievably bound with that of Sapho, Jean announces to his family that he is going abroad with his friend. His family reproaches and even curses him, especially his father. However, he learns that his mistress has received a visit from her former lover, the father of the child, and maddened by jealousy he insists that Sapho go with him to America. Fortunately for him, it is she who leaves him.

Dir: Emile Chautard

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Le roman d'un caissier perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Although he is a successful architect, devoted family man Robert Crewe does not earn enough to cover the expenses of his wife Marion and daughter Emily. Unknown to him, his Uncle Abner wants to ruin him because Robert's father stole Abner's fiancée, who died in childbirth after their marriage. Abner hires a beautiful seductress to break up Robert's happy home, but she is unsuccessful. Abner, who dies prematurely, leaves Robert his fortune, hoping that it finally will lead to Robert's downfall. As Robert and Marion drift apart, Emily is left in the hands of an uncaring nurse and cries herself to sleep each night. Robert has an affair with a Broadway actress and Marion becomes romantically involved with a prominent sculptor. Robert squanders his inheritance and involves himself in highly speculative business investments until, threatened with Emily's death, he and Marion finally decide to change their lives and bring the family back together once again.

Dir: Emile Chautard

The productions from Thanhouser's mature period, 1915-1917, clearly show the advancements that set the stage for the first cinematic golden age, the 1920s. Such advances are evident in this surviving shortened version of "Fires of Youth": detailed character development by veteran actor Frederick Warde (and in a smaller role, at least in the shortened version, by Jeanne Eagels), mature editing techniques, special lighting effects, intelligent story development, realistic use of locations, fluid dialogue inter-titles, complex staging and access to better cameras with the defeat of the Patents Trust. Acclaimed French stage and film director Emile Chautard was brought from Éclair studio in France to direct.

Dir: Emile Chautard

The story of Nathan Hale, an American soldier and spy from his days as a teacher to his eventual capture and execution.