The Global Archive For Devotees of Motherhood: Cult Guide

Dir: Frank Powell

Hedda Gabler, the degenerate daughter of a drunken, dueling father, has just returned with her husband, George Tesman, from their honeymoon. Hedda, who possesses an uncanny affection for her father's pistols, lives in jealous watchfulness over Ejlert Lovberg, a former lover whom she often pictures in Tesman's place, in her imagination. Lovberg, while under the positive influence of Thea Elvsted, has written an important book, and Hedda, learning this, sets out to recapture Lovberg's affection, whereupon he takes to drinking, loses the manuscript, and is cast into despair. Tesman finds the manuscript, which Hedda then obtains from him. Lovberg then breaks with Thea and goes to Hedda. She shows him her pistols; he takes one and goes to Thea's home where, in her arms, he shoots himself. Hedda, after burning the manuscript that she regards as the child of Lovberg and Thea, shoots herself as well.

Dir: Frank Powell

Wealthy Wall Street broker Thomas Maughm finally decides to divorce his spendthrift and reckless wife, and dictates a letter to that affect to his stenographer, Mary Moreland. While dictating the letter, he realizes that he is actually in love with Mary; when he tells her this, she confesses that she loves him, also, The pair make plans to meet in Boston later that night, but before Mary leaves, Maughm's wife confronts her and tells Mary that she still loves her husband. Ashamed, Mary convinces Maughm to go back to his wife. Complications ensue.

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

Dir: Frank Powell

Princess Fedora Romanoff, a wealthy, beautiful St. Petersburg widow, is betrothed to Vladimir Boroff, a young man of high social position in the Russian capital. On the eve of their wedding, Vladimir is murdered and Princess Fedora, transformed by the tragedy from a gentle, loving woman into a tigress, vows to devote her life to finding and punishing the slayer of her beloved. Her quest takes her to New York City.

Dir: Frank Powell

Blanche Merrill, the handsome wife of a young artist who is seeking his way to fame, is surprised when her husband Bob, seeing her standing before a mirror, insists upon painting her portrait. The painting is exhibited and attracts the attention of Boyd, a theatrical manager and playboy who seeks Blanche out and entices her to leave her husband with promises of a theatrical career. Blanche leads a life of indulgence with Boyd until, feeling the pangs of dissolution, she awakens in her husband's arms to discover that it was all a dream.

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

Dir: Frank Powell

When her lover deserts her, Gioconda Dianti seeks revenge by wrecking the lives of other men. When famous sculptor Lucio Settala meets her and asks her to pose for him, she sets out to ruin him. She captivates the artist with her charms, and he soon forgets his wife Silvia, their daughter Little Beata, and even his work. After Gioconda defies Silvia to take her husband back, Lucio shoots himself in a fit of desperation. Although Silvia nurses him back to health, Lucio soon returns to the enticing Gioconda. When Silvia's subsequent quarrel with Gioconda becomes a fight, Gioconda attempts to destroy Lucio's statue, but it falls on Silvia and is saved. Silvia, however, is crippled for life. Because of this, Lucio's sanity is affected and he becomes a raving maniac. Later, cast aside by her "man of the world," Gioconda also descends into madness.

Dir: Frank Powell

A reception given by the Count to celebrate his daughter Ann's engagement to Baron Moreno is disrupted by the news that a mine in which the whole village has invested is worthless. When the Count, who persuaded the townspeople to invest their savings in the venture, commits suicide, the baron jilts the now-destitute Ann. She marries Slater, an American promoter, and they move to the United States, hoping to earn enough to pay off her father's debts, but the baron follows Ann and forces his attentions on her. This provides Slater's mother, who is insanely jealous of her son's love for his wife, with the opportunity to break up their marriage. Slater orders his wife from the house and the baron offers her sanctuary. Ann's baby's incessant crying for her mother forces Slater to attempt a reconciliation, and when he looks for her, he finds her with the baron. In the ensuing fight, both men are mortally wounded. Ann returns to her child; she finds her mother-in-law repentant, and the three return to France to repay the debt.

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

Dir: Frank Powell

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: Frank Powell

Former newsboy and jockey Joe Braxton, becomes a millionaire rancher and decides to visit New York. He soon becomes the prey of swindler Tom Linson and socialite Viola Grayson. Linson defrauds Braxton's old employer, Colonel Downs, and attempts to corrupt Eleanor, the colonel's daughter. When Eleanor learns that Linson intends to destroy Joe on the stock exchange, she warns him, disregarding Linson's threat to ruin her reputation. Eleanor is too late, but Joe recovers his losses by riding Mongrel to victory in the Kentucky Futurity, after having stacked his last dollar on the horse's success.

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

Dir: Frank Powell

A baby is left on the Brinbecombes' yacht while they are sailing up the Hudson River, and they adopt him and name him Everett. They are neighbors of Governor Floyd Vandecarm whose twin children, Floyd Jr. and Fledra, were kidnapped in early infancy. Their abductor was Lon Cronk, a man sent to prison by Vandecar when the latter was a district attorney of the county. The twins grow up in Cronk's shack as "Flea" and "Flukey." Despite her rough surroundings Fledra/Flea grows into lovely young womanhood and she and her brother run away from Cronk's cruelty. They reach Tarrytown and peer into the lighted windows of the home of siblings Horace and Anne Shellington. Anne brings the two young vagrants into the house and ultimately adopts them. But Cronk, aided by Everett, wages a long, evil campaign to regain possession of the children.

Dir: Frank Powell

Nell Loring, a Texas sheep rancher's daughter, stops a fight between her father and his neighbor John Corliss, a cattleman, who have feuded for years. Although John loves Nell, he keeps it secret when she promises to marry his errant brother Billy if he stops drinking. After John rescues Nell from a runaway horse, though, she confesses that she really loves him. Worried about the feud, Nell makes John promise never to kill anyone. After Billy is wounded in a barroom brawl, John refuses him money until he reforms. Angered, Billy plots with Fadeaway, a cowboy John dismissed, to rob John's safe. John remembers his promise during his subsequent fight with Fadeaway and only punches him soundly. After Fadeaway is killed by the sister of a woman he betrayed, John, believing that Nell killed him, plants evidence to convict himself. Although Billy, now reformed, tries to take the blame, the murderer's written confession frees John to marry Nell.