Cinematic Discoveries Following the Footsteps of Maid o' the Storm:...

Dir: Raymond B. West

An narcissistic woman with the ability to charm, Leila Aradella reaps delight from preying upon weak men. Her first victim is John Morton, a talented lawyer, whom she ruins both morally and financially. Her second victim, Rex Walden, the generous son of society matron Mrs. Walden, becomes her complete slave. Mrs. Walden sends her elder son Franklin to try to dissuade Leila from toying with Rex's affections. Franklin, however, also falls under Leila's spell, and Rex is driven to suicide by her callous behavior. Desperate, Mrs. Walden enlists Adele Harley, a girl of strong moral character, to fight Leila for Franklin's affections. Adele's determined victory causes Leila to lose her confidence, and in a drunken state, she cuts her own face with a shard from her shattered mirror. Permanently disfigured, Leila ends a broken and lonely woman.

Dir: Raymond B. West

Identical twins in appearance only, sisters Helen and Marion Dean have totally different temperaments: Marion possesses a self-sacrificing character, while Helen is vain and heartless. When Marion, a wonderful singer, is crippled by a car accident just before she is to open at the grand opera, the manager of the opera conceives of the idea of presenting Helen on stage while Marion sings the music behind the scenes. A young millionaire, Monte Bruce, watching from the audience, is captivated by Helen and the two are married. Marion accompanies them on their honeymoon cruise, and when an explosion blinds Bruce, Helen begins to flirt with fellow passenger Jack Mason, leaving her crippled sister to take her place at Bruce's side. Helen's scheme goes awry when Bruce recovers his sight but keeps his recovery secret, thus discovering Helen's duplicity. When a fire breaks out on ship Helen and Mason are drowned while attempting to escape, freeing Bruce to marry Marion, who has recovered the use of her legs.

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

Dir: Raymond B. West

Thisbe Lorraine, an American who hopes to pursue an art career in Paris, falls in love with German aristocrat Ernst Faber, who makes love to the young woman and then leaves her. Disillusioned, Thisbe resolves to live by her own rules and returns to New York, where her sex novels earn her great fame and wealth. At a grotto café in Greenwich Village, Thisbe encounters "Tea Cup Ann," a fortuneteller who predicts that her sinful ways will bring her only sorrow. Later, Thisbe falls in love with artist Le Saint Hammond, who asks her to pose for his statue of Psyche, but when he learns of her past, her rejects her and then begins to drink excessively. Thisbe's sorrow turns to joy, however, when Le Saint finally returns to her.

Dir: Raymond B. West

Jack Harding, a wealthy ne'er-do-well, becomes involved with a Broadway vamp. When she is murdered, Jack is falsely accused of the crime and must turn for help to his lawyer--his wife.

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

Dir: Raymond B. West

Robin Cameron transforms her home on the Scottish seacoast into a hospital for convalescing soldiers. Sidney Carson, who owns the adjoining estate, and Dr. Hyde both love Robin, but she gives her heart to John Hamilton, an American soldier whose ship was sunk off the coast. When several Allied officials are sent to investigate reports of German spy activities in the area, an air raid occurs, and one of the officers is almost killed. Carson accuses John, and Dr. Hyde, jealous of the American's success with Robin, supports Carson's claim. However, with aid from a little Belgian girl named Mimi, Robin discovers that Carson had sent nightly messages to a fleet of German submarines. Exonerated, John departs for the front, and Robin, although her younger brother Donald has just lost his life in battle, bravely bids him farewell.

Dir: Raymond B. West

Seized with a fainting spell during a polo game, Donald Van Wye is given six months to live and told he must go to Arizona. His brother Tom, an irresponsible college youth, is wired to come home and take Donald's place. When Tom arrives, Donald finds that his little brother has committed himself to an actress named Maizie. Donald pleads with the actress to give Tom up, but when she refuses, Donald marries her in order to save his brother. The couple go to Arizona where their love ripens, and through Maizie's prayers, Donald regains his health. Mrs. Van Wye then comes to visit and tells Maizie that she is preventing Donald from assuming his rightful place in society. Crushed, Maizie starts across the desert alone, and when Donald learns of his mother's dreadful behavior, he follows Maizie and begs her to stay.

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

Dir: Raymond B. West

When the wealthy Robert Reyburn offers to pay for struggling painter Phyllis Page to continue her studies in Europe, he is not interested simply in serving as a patron of the arts. As a result, they indulge in a brief romance behind the back of Robert's wife Edith, then, several years later, Phyllis returns to the United States as a famous artist and becomes a high society favorite. Later, Edith successfully arranges a romance between her brother Dick and Phyllis. When Dick proposes, however, Edith turns him down, because she knows that, as his wife, she eventually would have to tell him who gave her the money for her European training and explain the conditions under which the money was offered.

Dir: Raymond B. West

She was alone in the world save for her little sister, and little sister was dying. She wanted a doll for Christmas and Dorothy had no money. She stole one and three persons paid a heavy price for the tiny toy.

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

Dir: Raymond B. West

While on the job, Neva Blaine, a seasoned cabaret girl, is assigned to the well-to-do Warren Kennedy, who has come to her club to forget a recent romantic humiliation. Kennedy was to marry Blanche Calloway, but Ellis Hopper, his rival, seduced her and forced her to appear at the wedding with a note detailing her betrayal. As revenge, Kennedy decides to remake Neva, by schooling her in the ways of society, pair her with Hopper, then, at the proper moment, reveal her lowly background. Although she loves Kennedy, Neva wins Hopper's hand as instructed but, on the day of the wedding, writes to her mentor imploring him to save her from the marriage. When Kennedy refuses to intercede, Neva, desperate with grief, spills wine on her wedding gown and pretends to be drunk in the church, causing the guests to flee and Hopper to denounce her. Her fate apparently sealed, Neva goes off to live alone, but Kennedy, realizing his love for her, saves her from a lonely existence.

Dir: Raymond B. West

The Earl of Selkirk and his family learn of the impending arrival of American pirate John Paul Jones, they flee their castle, leaving behind Nora, the kitchen maid. Left alone in the house, Nora dons the clothes of her mistress and parades herself about the castle until the arrival of the king's light infantry. Because they mistake her for the lady of the house, she invites them to be her guests. Meanwhile, on board the pirate ship, third officer Darby O'Donovan recognizes the little island as his former home. Sent ashore by the commanding officer to investigate, Darby sees Nora, his old sweetheart, seated at the table with the redcoats and, impersonating an Irish gentleman, he interrupts the gathering. Later, a fisherman exposes Darby's true identity and he is arrested. Nora, determined to save her lover, disguises herself as a soldier and signals the pirate ship for help. After a thrilling battle between the pirates and the soldiers, the pirates escape and Darby sails to America accompanied by Nora.