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Recommendations
Senior Film Conservator
The United States-born brilliance of Forward March offers a unique artistic bravery, the profound questions raised in 1923 still require cinematic answers today. Our curated selection of recommendations echoes the very essence of Forward March.
In the Pantheon of Short cinema, Forward March to provide a definitive example of John Smith's stylistic genius.
Jimmy, seated on a scaffold, is painting the house. His sweetheart attracts his attention below and Jimmy accidentally falls and is rendered unconscious. In his delirium he sees himself a messenger bearing an important code message through an enemy country. The president commissions the general, Bimbo, to capture Jimmy. The President's daughter, who is none other than Jimmy's reel sweetheart, overhears. Bimbo marches out the army and succeeds in capturing Jimmy. Jimmy escapes from his clutches several times through clever ruses, but is finally searched. The code is not found on him. He accidentally seeks refuge in a bear cage, and is scared into the hands of Bimbo again. Jimmy causes such a hubbub in the palace, leaping to chandeliers and causing Bimbo such annoyance end trouble that he is placed into a barred cell. He is given some "liquid fire" to drink, which burns his mouth, but which enables him to melt the bars of his cell end, with the aid of the girl, he escapes. He is pieced in a beg, but even this does not keep him in custody. Finally he is placed on a mail stand for a passing train to pick him up. Instead he is knocked high into the air, falling down through the roof, where lives the official to whom Jimmy is to give the message. He presents his message, but learns much to his disgust, that the real message has already been delivered, and that Jimmy was given a fake message, merely acting as a decoy all along. He faints, and in so doing, revives in his sweetheart's arms by the building he was painting, and they realize it was only a dream.
Forward March was a significant production in United States, showcasing the immense talent of Vernon Dent, Jimmy Aubrey. It continues to be a top recommendation for anyone studying Short history.
Based on the unique artistic bravery of Forward March, our vault has identified these titles as the most compelling follow-up experiences for fans of Short cinema:
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.
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Dir: Lloyd Ingraham
While walking along the street one day, Arthur P. Hampton, an impoverished young doctor, and his chums, Stub Masters and Johnny Stokes, are persuaded to part with their last remaining funds by tag day solicitor Mary Jane Smith, with whom the doctor promptly falls in love. Doc's friends then hit upon a get-rich-quick scheme. Knowing that his Uncle George has promised a large sum of money upon his nephew's marriage, they persuade Doc to send out fake wedding invitations naming Mary Jane as the blushing bride. Uncle George, elated at the good news, writes to Mary Jane's aunt, Angelica Burns, an old sweetheart, to invite Mary Jane and Angelica to be his guests on an ocean voyage. Meanwhile, Mary Jane pays a visit to the doctor's office and, upon seeing the wedding invitations, becomes so flustered that she trips and sprains her ankle. Doc comes to her rescue and then begs her to pose as his wife. She agrees, but at ship-side, Stub and Johnnie confess all to Uncle George, who flies into a rage until Doc announces that he and Mary Jane have chosen a wedding at sea.
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Dir: Mason N. Litson
Edgar and his chum try to amass a fortune in one day by cornering the fan market on a hot afternoon when the circus comes to the small town where they are spending their vacation.
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Dir: Maurice Campbell
Carver Endicott, a young sophisticate, is rejected by his fiancée for being too foppish and dull. When she feigns an interest in his father, Carver attempts to disgrace his family name by working as a farmhand and later as a busboy in a hotel. However, the newspapers only praise him for his self-sacrificing principles; and finding that he cannot bring shame to the family through menial labor, he takes up with a notorious actress. But when this maneuver also fails, he returns to his former fiancée, who has no further complaint about his being an inexperienced dullard.
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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.
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Dir: Unknown Director
A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.
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Dir: Malcolm St. Clair
A dancing instructor gets involved with a newly rich family.
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Dir: Jerome Storm
Ne'er-do-well Homer Cavender ventures to the city from Mainsville in an effort to find fame and fortune. Both elude him, and after clerking for two years, Homer returns home for a vacation. Impressed by his flashy clothes, the townspeople assume that Homer has achieved success. Attempting to win Rachel Prouty from his rival, Arthur Machim, Homer continues the deception by announcing that his employer, Kort and Bailly, has dispatched him to enroll stockholders for a proposed new plant to be built in Mainsville. Machim discovers the sham and denounces Homer as a crook. Meanwhile, Homer returns to New York, convinces his employers of the merits of his plan and comes home triumphant, with a proposal for both the new plant and for Rachel's hand in marriage.
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Dir: Henry Edwards
A millionaire bets £25,000 that he can earn his own living for six months.
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Dir: Unknown Director
The village youths are rivals for the hand of the local belle. Their battles lead them to the village store, where chaos soon reigns, terminating in the place being blown up, leaving Bobby a happy victor.
View DetailsAnalysis relative to Forward March
| Film Title | Atmosphere | Complexity | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lunatics in Politics | Ethereal | Dense | 97% Match |
| Mary's Ankle | Surreal | High | 86% Match |
| Get-Rich-Quick Edgar | Tense | Abstract | 95% Match |
| An Amateur Devil | Tense | Linear | 98% Match |
| Kids Is Kids | Tense | Layered | 94% Match |
This guide was algorithmically generated using the cinematic metadata of John Smith's archive. Last updated: 6/9/2026.
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