Visionary Picks In Alignment with the style of Mare Nostrum: Cult Guide

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Frivolous young Marie de Severac is frightened into following a more virtuous path, when her father relates a story in which an equally frivolous woman is entombed alive.

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

The captain of a sailing ship has an affair with the wife of one of his passengers, and gets mixed up in a mutiny at sea and a revolution.

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When famous opera singer Elinore Duane undergoes an operation on her throat, she has a series of ether-induced visions. In one, she is transported to ancient Rome where she appears as a much-admired woman in love with Paul, a young heretic, and at odds with Lutor, the high priest. To save her love, she poisons Lutor with her ring. After several other visions which involve variations on this love triangle, Elinore awakens to discover that Lutor is actually her doctor, Sascha Jaccard, and that Paul is the son of a friend who has come to visit the recovering prima donna.

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

A simple country girl, brutally mistreated by her stepfather, awakens first the sympathy, then the love, of The Boy. The Spider, who lusts after The Girl, makes a bargain with the stepfather and takes her to the city where, kept prisoner, she is soon broken in health and spirit. Cast out and near death, she is taken in by The Boy. Following the demise of The Spider, The Boy takes her to church, where he prays, and after many hours she is restored to health.

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At a meeting of the Hop Sing Tong, a Chinaman chooses the red bean and is destined to kill one of his countrymen. Later this Chinaman kills his condemned countryman, and the gang manage to throw the officers off the track of the murderer. However, the police suspect that it is the work of the Hop Sing Tong and are instructed by the chief to arrest Charley Sing, as one Chinaman is as good as another. Big Tom Hogan, the Tammany leader, is visited by Buck Mahoney, a gang leader, a friend of Charley Sing's, who has come to get Hogan to have the Chinaman released, for he knows he is innocent. Hogan forces the Governor to pardon Charley Sing. Samuel Savinsky, the keeper of a pawnshop, is thought much of by his wife and family, who never suspect his affair with Neva Sacon. He gives her money and jewels, and becomes jealous of Harvey Wilson, a reporter. Paul Rasnov, a sculptor and a dope fiend, pawns valuable trinkets at Savinsky's store to buy opium at the store of Ah Wong, the leader of the Three Brothers Tong. Tea Rose, Ah Wong's wife, consents to run away with Paul. Buck meets Harvey and says he will show him secrets of Chinatown if Harvey will expose the Boss in his paper. Buck guides Harvey into the building of the Hop Sing Tong. Harvey is enthusiastic over a silver flower, and Buck, seeing no one is looking, tells him to keep it. That evening Harvey gives Neva Sacon, the café dancer, the poppy, the Flower of Doom. The next day Harvey and Neva go to Chinatown and stop at Ah Wong's store to eat. The proprietor sees Neva and makes plans to kidnap her. While Harvey is in another room, a panel opens behind her and she is pulled through the opening. When the reporter returns a servant tells him that the lady has just left. He hurries to tell Buck about the strange disappearance. The Chinamen leave Neva in a small room. Left alone with a Chinaman at one time, the girl offers him a curious ring which Savinsky has given her, if he will deliver a message to Harvey at the newspaper office. The Chinaman is informed that the reporter is not in, and thus satisfied, the Chink goes to Savinsky's pawnshop to get rid of the ring. The pawnbroker recognizes the ring and forces the Chinaman to tell now he got it. With a policeman Savinsky starts for Ah Wong's, but when the officer threatens to break down a door, Savinsky is frightened, and hurriedly leaves the place. Buck appeals to Charley Sing to find Neva, and following Charley's suggestion, Tea Rose is kidnapped while a letter written in Chinese is sent to Ah Wong telling him of Tea Rose and offering her in exchange for Neva. Ah Wong consents, and that evening Neva is restored to her people and Tea Rose to her husband. Savinsky, seeing Neva again in the company of Harvey, realizes he has lost and goes to her to demand the jewels he has given her. Harvey returns with Neva, and when Savinsky begins to quarrel about his rights, the reporter throws him out. Harvey proposes to Neva who accepts his offer. Warned by a spying Chink that Tea Rose and Rasnov are going to run away that evening, Ah Wong plans to spoil their party. He hides in the place where the girl is expecting to meet Rasnov, and springing on her drags her into a room and strangles her. Rasnov waits for Tea Rose, and Ah Wong rushes in at him. They fight, and the Chinaman lifts Rasnov up to hurl him against the wall when his foot slips and his skull is crushed against the stone steps of the grating. Having lost Tea Rose, Rasnov consoles himself with opium.

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

Melodrama of a young Italian lady induced to emigrate to New York where her patron abandons her. Her brother then follows, to avenge her dishonor, using a dagger belonging to an artist, who is incriminated.

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Opera goers had never heard such a "Carmen" as Lorelei, the American girl, who had come to Mexico City, almost unheralded, and captivated the town. Francisco De Sarpina, governor of the province, coveted the girl, and with his power was able to sweep aside all opposition. Marion Leslie, an American sculptor, had rejoiced when he secured the commission to supply frescoes for one of the local cathedrals; he could be near Lorelei, his betrothed, during the grand opera season. Rance Clifford is the American consul and his sister, Isable, lives with him at the consulate. When Clifford files a telegram that promises to lead to an investigation of Sarpina's action the American is arrested and thrown into jail. Isable Clifford had at one time relieved the family of Pietro, the jailer. In their distress and thus gained the gratitude of Pietro and his wife. Isable hears of her brother's imprisonment and bribes Pietro to provide Clifford with means of escape. The Cliffords and Leslie are friendly and when Clifford escapes, he goes to the cathedral, to find shelter until he can plan the next move. Isable has consented to pose for a head of the Madonna and Lorelei is needlessly jealous. Lorelei arrives, demands admittance, and during the brief interval Leslie employs to hide Clifford, Lorelei's jealousy is set aflame. Sarpina discovers that his prisoner has escaped. He elicits from the jailer a confession that involves Isable. The cunning Mexican devises a scheme to play upon Lorelei's jealousy by forging a note to the opera singer that implicates Leslie and Isable. The forgery fires Lorelei's jealous passion, and she divulges Clifford's hiding place. Leading the Mexicans to Leslie's home she enters to find Clifford and his sister with Leslie. The situation is explained and Leslie directs Clifford and Isable to a nearby hiding place from whence they ultimately escape to safety. When the Mexicans enter Leslie's home, and find the singer and Leslie the only occupants, Sarpina demands that the whereabouts of his prisoner shall be disclosed. Sarpina's men seize Leslie and torture him when he will not betray the American refugees. Lorelei is a witness to the scene and when she can no longer bear seeing her betrothed punished, she tells where Clifford and Isable may be found. Leslie is ordered to jail, to be shot next morning. When Clifford and Isable cannot be found (because they have fled) Sarpina tells Lorelei that his vengeance will fall upon the head of her sweetheart. Surrendering herself to Sarpina is given as Lorelei's only method of saving Leslie's life. Lorelei dines with the Mexican brute and agrees to render the tribute demanded of her. First, however, Sarpina must deliver to her passports for two and instruct his executioner that only blanks shall be fired at Leslie in his pretended execution at sunrise. Five minutes alone with her betrothed is allowed Lorelei. Returning to Sarpina's apartments Lorelei, during a struggle with the Mexican, stabs him dead. Morning breaks, and Lorelei goes, passports in hand, to the place where her sweetheart lies prostrate upon the ground, cold in death. Shocked beyond human endurance, the singer falls upon the breast of her betrothed.

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

Jim McDonald, the foreman of a shipbuilding plant and head of the labor union, strives to combat the anarchistic propaganda being put forth by Klimoff, the leader of a Bolshevik gang whose goal is to disrupt the country with strikes and anarchy. Despite McDonald's efforts, a strike is called, resulting in chaos. McDonald's child is knocked down by runaway horses abandoned by their striking driver, and dies. Mob scenes take place in America, as well as in Russia. Eventually, the unrest is quelled with an armistice called between Capital and Labor for a year, during which time wages are to be increased to reflect the cost of living, and leaders are to work out a common plan for their mutual advantage. The strikers now realize that they have been pawns of the Bolsheviks and call off the strike, agreeing to the plan.

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An American diplomat in China is murdered, and a wealthy Chinese friend of the family raises his daughter Mignon. When she grows up, she wants to return to the U.S. and is tricked into accompanying slave trader Foo Shai to New York. Once there, however, Foo Shai keeps her captive and abuses her. Local artist Lawrence falls in love with her, but he cannot free her from Foo Shai's clutches. It is up to her friend Chang to try to help her.

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Julian Randolph, a dishonest attorney whose specialty is furnishing phony jurors, is offered a judgeship if he clears Clifford Nordhoff, the brother of powerful politician "Boss" Nordhoff, of a murder charge. With the aid of his usual tools, Randolph succeeds and is given a position on the bench. Here he is expected to obey the commands of the men who secured his appointment, but Ranoldph falls in love with Laura Nelson, a girl of upstanding social position, and resolves to follow the straight path. He breaks off with Roxana Frisbee, an adventuress who had assisted him in his shady schemes, and refuses to hand down a decision in favor of the political machine. In the end, Randolph upholds justice, wins Laura as his wife, and has the gratification of seeing Roxana also go straight.