The Auteur's Selection Complementing the Tone of Curses!: Cult Guide

Dir: Henry Edwards

A millionaire bets £25,000 that he can earn his own living for six months.

Dir: Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle

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

A farm boy must rescue his sweetheart from being married off to someone she does not love.

Dir: Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle

Buster manages the store while Roscoe delivers the mail, taking time out for hide-and-seek with Molly. The constable, also interested in Molly, steals $300 while being observed by Buster.

Dir: Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle

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

Working their fingers to the bone to prepare the set for an upcoming performance, the enthusiastic stagehands, Roscoe and Buster, find themselves on stage when the cast quits. However, is will alone enough to earn a big round of applause?

Dir: Hal Roach

An American book salesman (Lloyd) is persuaded to go to the kingdom of Thermosa to impersonate the Prince. He is greeted by a peasants' revolt before the real prince shows up to claim his throne and princess. The revolution succeeds, and the American is elected president of the new republic.

Dir: Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle

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

Fatty is the suffering spouse who comes home every night to an empty house and a neglectful wife. His wife is furious when she discovers Fatty is cheating on her with a neglected wife.

Dir: Reggie Morris

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle

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

The Sheriff is a "desert hero," so lucky as never to get a scratch amid all the shooting, such a remarkable shot himself that he hits the cuckoo in a clock and causes it to drop into a glass of beer below, converting it to a cocktail. He thwarts all the villains, foils all the plots, rescues the persecuted maiden, destroys the bar, closes the dance hall, and is instrumental in converting a long line of hardened gunmen to lives of usefulness as members of the Salvation Army.

Dir: Charley Chase

A young married couple volunteer to take charge of several orphans after the asylum has burned down. Of course they find their hands full with their troublesome charges.

Dir: Ralph Ince

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.