Visionary Picks Drawn from the Same DNA as Ein Lied für dich: Cult ...

Dir: Joe May

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: Joe May

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Die Herrin der Welt 3. Teil - Der Rabbi von Kuan-Fu perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: Joe May

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: Joe May

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

Hilde Warren, a famous actress, is impregnated by a convicted murderer and becomes plagued by visions of an extremely gaunt and sepulchral Death. Upon discovering her child is the image of its criminal father, Hilde must decide whether to allow it to live or to kill it and risk the embrace of Death himself.

Dir: Joe May

The mystery surrounding the temple of Buddha which contains many priceless gems attracts the attention of two adventurers. They plan and eventually steal the holy pearl from the head of the idol. Next morning the theft is discovered by the Brahmins, and the high priest curses the thief, calling on Buddha to wreak vengeance on everyone into whose possession the jewel falls. The thieves hasten to Europe to sell their ill-gotten prize and offer it to Degory Priest, a well-known collector of rare gems, for $10,000. Priest invites one of the thieves, a man named Allen, to stay at his home over night and he will buy the pearl and pay for it next morning. The other man. Walker, decides to keep watch and wait in the grounds of the mansion. During the night, the evil influence of the pearl causes Allen to see strange visions. He has a paralytic stroke from which he dies. Priest, who had a motive for inviting Allen to stay the night, visits his room and finding him dead, takes the pearl. Three days later, Priest meets with a fatal accident while hunting. After his death the pearl is handed over to his son and heir, Charles Priest, who has gotten into financial difficulties and is in the power of a money lender named Lewis. Lewis brings pressure to bear on young Priest who, unable to raise the money and under the fatal influences of the pearl, commits suicide, before doing so, telling his wife to rid herself of the pearl which has brought so much misfortune on his family. She consequently sells it to Lewis. Violet Lewis seeing the beautiful gem in her father's possession, asks to be allowed to wear it for one day only at her coming of age reception. He consents, but as a precaution, has it insured for $100,000. At the reception three Hindoo performers give a show in which the famous William Tell shooting act forms one of the items. Instead of shooting the apple, the Hindoo shoots the pearl out of its setting without destroying it. This supposed accident causes a sensation and a scuffle takes place to find the missing pearl. Finally the manager of the insurance brokers, who is at the reception to guard the interests of his firm, finds the pearl, but on close examination discovers it to be a clever imitation of the original stone. And now the question arises, "Who Has the Genuine Pearl?"

Dir: Joe May

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Hilde Warren und der Tod perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Lavinia Morland marries a rich banker in order to obtain money to care for a sick artist with whom she is in love. A woman tells the banker of this state of affairs and he hires a disreputable and bogus count to compromise his wife so that he may obtain a divorce. She kills her husband when she finds he has trapped her, but her story told in court procures her release.

Dir: Richard Smith

Two female candidates for Chief of Police live across the hall from each other, and their political rivalry follows them home, leading to plenty of hi-jinks.

Dir: Joe May

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of The Mystery of the Fatal Pearl and the Sequel perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: Joe May

Ralph O'Donell owns one of the largest breweries in Chicago. Eventually he marries his sweetheart Helene Berger. When Helene's aunt dies in Europe she become a universal heir overnight.

Dir: Joe May

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.