Must-Watch List Comparable to the Style of Mothers of France: Cult Guide

Dir: René Hervil

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: René Hervil

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

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: René Hervil

Suzanne Daubray, whose brother went off to war, is courted by the Prince of Sylvania who is engaged to Princess Sonia.

Dir: René Hervil

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

Fabio Romani is the husband of beautiful Nina, an Italian girl. They have a charming daughter, Stella by name, and their life in Naples on Romani's great estates is one of love and happiness. Both husband and wife are fond of Guido Ferrari, who is a constant visitor at their home, and whose friendship for Fabio has been lifelong. A great cholera plague ravages the populace of Naples and Fabio one day decides to go to town in spite of the danger, on an errand of importance. On his return he is seized with the cholera, and drops to the street. He is picked up by the hooded doctors, pronounced dead, and, as a precaution against infection, his body is immediately placed on a cheap wooden casket and buried in the long disused Romani family vault. After some hours of apparent death his body stirs. He breathes, feels, moves and his casket slips from the niche and falls to the floor of the vault, taking with it a coffin that had lain undisturbed for many centuries on a lower tier. Romani struggles to his feet and the truth dawns on him. He immediately plunges into the casket now broken open and finds tremendous riches in gold, silver and diamonds with a note stating that they had been placed there by a pirate many generations ago. Almost overcome by his adventure, and suffering an agony of mental torture, Fabio's hair turns white in a single hour. He finally breaks free of the tomb and rushes through the garden to his mansion. From behind an ornamental column he sees his old friend Guido embracing his wife and determines upon a horrible revenge. He hurries to the nearest town, buys a pair of green spectacles and a suit of clothes. Armed with almost inexhaustible riches of the treasure chest, he assumes the name of Count Oliva and after a lapse of time, returns to the scene of his misfortunes. He succeeds in obtaining an introduction to Guido and in course of time the two become fast friends. He professes himself to be an old friend of the dead Count Romani's father. In course of time he meets his faithless wife and soon becomes an almost daily visitor at his own home. At this time his child Stella is taken sick and dies. Before the little girl passes away, Fabio makes himself known to her. The wealth of Fabio dazzles Nina and, being faithless, selfish and mercenary, he has but little difficulty in laying the foundation of his vengeance. Guido leaves town for a period and during the interval, Fabio receives the consent of Nina to become his wife and to jilt Guido. Fabio then announces a grand dinner in honor of Guido's return and, at the psychological moment, announces to the assembled guests the engagement of himself and Nina. Guido, stung to the quick, strikes Fabio and a duel follows, in which Guido is mortally wounded. Before he expires, Fabio removes his green glasses and reveals his identity to the dying Guido. The night of the wedding arrives with its hundreds of guests. On that night just before the supper, Fabio takes Nina by the hand and leads her to the vault, telling her that he will show her the source of his fabulous wealth and the ever mercenary Nina follows to the door of the vault where she hesitates. Fabio seizes her and throws her through the open door and then follows himself. Safely in the vault, he discloses his identity and the shock drives Nina insane. The sight of the once beautiful woman now a crazed being with distorted face, playing among the jewels in the treasure chest, almost causes Fabio's cold heart to relent. Suddenly the earth moves beneath them. There is a rush and roar of crashing pillars, a mighty stone hurtles through the roof of the tomb, striking Nina and killing her instantly. Fabio, believing it the vengeance of the Gods, rushes from the mined vault in panic. Thus is the Vendetta accomplished.

Dir: René Hervil

Bicard nicknamed Le Bouif earns 1,000 francs for lending his body to the experiments conducted by Professor Caligari. Further adventures await him when he encounters Ladislas, a young reveler, who happens to be the crown prince of Corinthia. This one, who favors living it up over his royal duty, commissions Bicard to replace him on the throne...

Dir: René Hervil

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

Jeanne Doré's profligate husband is hopelessly addicted to gambling, and is threatened with expulsion from his club because of his heavy indebtedness to another gambler member. Confessing his disgrace to his wife (Mme. Bernhardt), she offers to save him from disgrace by selling her jewels. With the money thus obtained he goes to his club, determined to pay his debts and live up to the pledge he has made to his wife to gamble no more. However, the lure of the roulette wheel overcomes his resolve; he loses all his money on "just one more turn of the wheel," and rather than face his disgrace, commits suicide. Left with her young son to support, Jeanne Doré is forced to sell her remaining possessions and live as best she can until her husband's uncle takes pity upon her and buys for her a small stationery shop in Paris. Here mother and son prosper until the boy reaches early manhood. One day he falls suddenly and violently in love with a married woman, who comes to his mother's shop to make purchases. An intrigue with the unscrupulous female leads the young man to murder the same uncle who had befriended himself and mother. The youth, with the assistance of Jeanne Doré, makes good his escape. Well clear of immediate capture, the boy comes back to the scene of his crime and succeeds in his efforts to once more affect a liaison with his mistress. By accident he is discovered and captured, thrown into jail, is tried and convicted of the murder and sentenced to the guillotine. Even in these desperate straits he seeks to gain some response to his affection for the woman, who promptly spurned and repudiated him. He prevails upon his devoted mother to become a messenger in his service and her appeals, likewise, fall upon deaf ears. Instead of telling the boy that her quest has been fruitless, Jeanne Doré goes to the prison herself, on the evening before the boy's neck is to be given to the knife, and poses as the woman he had expressed himself, to his own mother, as the one he most wished to see. The boy goes to the guillotine, and the final scene depicts the devoted mother in the extreme agony of watching, from a window across the street, the execution of her son.

Dir: René Hervil

Jean Fleury, a young engineer who has designed a revolutionary engine for the Revoil motor company, is engaged to Aimée Valois, a seamstress, his neighbor across the hall. But the charming young lady is hired one day by a nightclub and lets herself be lured by the easy life in Paris. So much so that, to Jean's great distress, she breaks up with him. But, along with time, Aimée gets tired of her vain and frivolous lifestyle and comes back to Jean.

Dir: René Hervil

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

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: René Hervil

Blanchette, whose parents have sacrificed to give her an education, has received her teaching diploma, but is unable to find work. A dispute with her father leads to her being throw out of the house, and she goes to Paris to look for work.

Dir: René Hervil

There is a rivalry between the top part and the lower part of the village of Murcie because of water. Pancho, Maria del Carmen's fiancé, hurts Xavier, son of the rich Domingo, so he has to leave the country. Maria proposes to take care of Xavier in exchange for Pancho's freedom. Unfortunately, Xavier falls in love with her and Domingo forces her to marry his son. Pancho reappears, ready to defy Xavier, but the two overhear a conversation and learn that Xavier's days are numbered. So he asks Pancho to elope with Maria.