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

Dir: Cecil B. DeMille

Esra Kincaid takes land by force, and having taken the Espinoza land, he sets his sight on the Castro rancho U.S. Government Agent Kearney holds him off until the cavalry shows up and he can declare his love for Juanita--"The Rose of the Rancho."

Dir: Cecil B. DeMille

In order to help her smuggler kinsmen, a sultry gypsy seduces and corrupts an officer of the Civil Guard turning him into a traitor and murderer.

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

Dir: Cecil B. DeMille

A vision of Joan of Arc inspires an English officer facing a risky mission.

Dir: Cecil B. DeMille

With her brother killed Sonya is given Turkish captive Mahmud to do the hard work on the farm. After they become fond of each other he strikes a Turkish officer. When peace arrives, his blow costs him his noble lands. She is burned out of her house. They meet again on the road with nothing but each other.

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

Dir: Cecil B. DeMille

Soda jerk Harvey is the most popular man in Blakeville, New York, and deliriously happy through three years of poverty-stricken marriage to Nellie. When a musical-comedy comes through town, Nellie becomes and actress and tag-along Harvey becomes "What's His Name." When Nellie falls for a millionaire and goes to Reno for a divorce, Harvey takes their child Phoebe home, where her later illness brings her parents back together.

Dir: Cecil B. DeMille

Jack Hale, a revenue agent, is sent into the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia to track down illegal alcohol producers - "moonshiners." His task is complicated when he falls in love with June Tolliver, daughter of one his intended quarry.

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

Dir: Cecil B. DeMille

Opera singer Renee Dupree is in love with struggling composer Julian who falls very seriously ill. She goes to impresario Mueller for the money Julian needs but is saved from sacrificing her virtue when a jealous lover kills Mueller.

Dir: Cecil B. DeMille

A young American has her ship torpedoed by a German U-boat but makes it back to ancestral home in France, where she witnesses German brutality firsthand.

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

Dir: Cecil B. DeMille

Nora is nursemaid to a wealthy family and in love with their chauffeur Nolan. When she hides her mistress' lover in her room, jealous Nolan shoots him and Nora, who refuses to tell about her mistress affair, is dismissed.

Dir: Cecil B. DeMille

Pregnant tenement dweller Maggie Schultz is being used by burglars and fears that though "I stole to keep my baby from being born in this rat hole... now he's going to be born in jail." But the tenement owner may refuse to prosecute.