Deep Archive Finds in the Vein of Heart and Soul: Cult Guide

Dir: J. Gordon Edwards

Shakespeare's classic tale of ill-fated lovers whose deaths bring peace to their warring families.

Dir: J. Gordon Edwards

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

After squandering his entire estate, Roy Schuyler is forced by his creditors to marry wealthy Laura Reid. Her half-sister Ann tries to warn her of Roy's motives, but is kidnapped by Roy and incarcerated in an asylum before she can. Roy then tries to force Laura to sign a document which would accord him control of her estate. When she refuses, Roy, with the aid of Dassori, a traitor from Italy, brings Ann and Laura together. Ann dies and Laura, who closely resembles her, is placed in the asylum in her stead. Laura is finally saved when her cousin Marion bribes a nurse to allow her to escape and Dassori, with moments to live, confesses his part in the crime, thus establishing Laura's true identity. Justice is then served when Roy is driven to his death by his tortured conscience.

Dir: J. Gordon Edwards

Faced with the tragic responsibility of choosing between the happiness of her 16-year-old daughter Pamela or saving the life of an innocent man, Marie Baudin's first impulse is to sacrifice all for her own. But she has second thoughts that bring complications to all.

Dir: J. Gordon Edwards

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Should a Mother Tell perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Lolette (Theda Bara), an exotic and spirited peasant girl lives In the small Spanish village of Juanguera. Although ardently courted by the native swains, and particularly a bandit called The Tiger, Lolette prefers Maurice Tabor, a French artist who has come to Juanguera to paint. Because he refuses to take her to Paris, Lolette accepts a gift of stolen jewels from The Tiger and follows Maurice to France. With Lolette as his model, Maurice paints brilliantly, and soon she becomes a Paris sensation. One evening, Lolette performs a Spanish dance on stage, and the next day, she signs contracts with a number of impresarios, accepting advance payment from all of them. Fearing her arrest, Maurice urges her to accompany him back to Spain, but The Tiger attacks their coach and imprisons them. At a feast held in her honor, however, Lolette urges The Tiger to drink, and when he is unconscious, she and Maurice escape.

Dir: J. Gordon Edwards

Maria Valverde, a young Spanish woman whose father has settled in the Philippines, arrives home from the convent where she received her education and is soon approached by Diablo Ramirez, a local plantation overseer who hopes to win her heart. Having met the handsome American army captain, Paul Winter, in Manila, Maria scorns Diablo's advances, and later, he is forcefully escorted from the house. Furious, Diablo organizes a group of rebels, who kill Maria's father and hold her a prisoner in her own home. When Captain Winter hears of the revolt, he rushes to Maria's aid but is himself captured. Reinforcements soon arrive from the American army post, and in the fighting, the house is set ablaze. Diablo is about to grab Maria when Captain Winter enters and shoots the rebel down. The Americans finally emerge victorious, and Maria wins her dashing captain.

Dir: J. Gordon Edwards

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

A young Frenchman kills his best friend in a drunken fight. He vows to never touch another drop of liquor, but he goes back to the bottle when he hooks up with seductive Blanche Le Noir, and is soon an alcoholic. Blanche, however, prefers the sinister Lantier, and tries to use Lantier's daughter to get to him. However, the daughter is saved by the efforts of young American RIchard Lee, who marries her. Unfortunately, Lee's sister is seduced by Lantier. Complications ensue.

Dir: J. Gordon Edwards

The story tells of the maneuvering, the machinations and the subtle intrigue of Lady Dolly, Vere Herbert's mother, who is anxious to make an advantageous marriage for her daughter. In doing so she eventually schemes away her child's happiness by marrying her to Prince Zuroff. Some time before she was introduced to the Prince, Vere met and fell in love with Lucien Correze, an opera singer, who became attracted to her. Told by her mother that she must sever her friendship with the singer and marry the Russian Prince, Vere heartbroken, leaves Correze, and her wedding to the Prince is a social event. Soon after her marriage Vere discovers that the Prince is harboring his mistress, Duchess De Sonnaz, under the same roof. A scene follows, after which the Prince banishes his wife, together with her faithful German nurse, to a Russian monastery. Shortly after her incarceration she is followed to the retreat by Correze and Lord Jura, the latter a friend of her mother's. Correze entreats Vere to leave the place and go with him. She is about to succumb to his impassioned plea when the Prince enters the room. Words are followed by a duel in which the Prince and Lord Jura are both killed. The Princess, free, marries Correze.

Dir: J. Gordon Edwards

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

When Herodias divorces her husband and marries his brother Herod Antipas, governor of Judea, the prophet John the Baptist protests and is imprisoned. Salome, daughter of Herodias and both niece and stepdaughter to Herod, dances seductively and wins the prize of anything she asks of Herod. The prize she asks is the head of John the Baptist.

Dir: J. Gordon Edwards

Francesca Brabaut, who married an artist against her father's advice, regrets her decision when her husband Antoine, in debt, sends her to his misanthropic uncle to plead for money. After Francesca refuses the uncle's offer to change his will if she will have sex with him, the uncle, declaring that he has misjudged women, decides to leave money to provide for Francesca and her child but dies of heart failure first. Antoine inherits a castle and title and deserts Francesca. Later, while posing in Florence for an American artist, Francesca meets the artist's sweetheart, American heiress Cecily Blaine, whose mother wants her to marry someone with a title. When Francesca learns that Antoine plans to marry Cecily, she threatens to expose him, but he convinces Cecily that Francesca and the artist are married. Cecily then consents to marry Antoine. After Francesca and the artist are sent to the galleys unjustly for theft, Antoine is exposed. When he tries to kidnap their child, Francesca shoots him, whereupon Cecily marries the artist.

Dir: J. Gordon Edwards

After the death of Princess Arbassoff, Lisza Tapenko, a governess in the household of Prince Arbassoff, fills her place in everything but name. When the prince refuses to marry her because of the difference in their social positions, Lisza's former lover, Vassya, urges her to join the cause of the revolution. Smarting under the prince's refusal, she does so and leaves for Switzerland, the headquarters of the revolutionaries. The prince eventually yields to his son's pleas for Lisza's return and agrees to make her his wife. As Princess Arbassoff, Lisza still continues her activities with the revolutionaries, assassinating government officials and leaving a red rose on each of her victims. Torn between her love for the prince and her love of Russia when the revolutionaries order her to slay her husband, Lisza's devotion to the cause triumphs and she dynamites her house, meeting her death along with the prince's.