Recommendations
Senior Film Conservator

The artistic legacy of Cecil B. DeMille was forever changed by Old Wives for New, the thematic layers of this 1918 classic invite a wider exploration of the genre. This list serves as a bridge to other cult experiences that are just as potent.
The vintage appeal of Old Wives for New to reinvent the tropes of cult cinema for a global audience.
Charles Murdock neglects his fat and lazy wife in favor of Juliet Raeburn, but when Juliet's name is involved in murder, he manages to clear her of any charge. After his divorce, Charles marries Juliet.
Based on the unique cinematic excellence of Old Wives for New, our vault has identified these titles as the most compelling follow-up experiences for fans of cult cinema:
Dir: Cecil B. DeMille
Ramon loves Catalonian peasant Maria Rosa. He uses a knife belonging to her love Andreas to kill fisherman Pedro, so Andreas goes to jail for ten years. Maria will wait for him, but Ramon convinces her Andreas dies in prison so she agrees to marry him. On their wedding day Ramon is paroled. Maria then stabs Ramon.
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Dir: Cecil B. DeMille
As the Civil War begins Ned Burton leaves his Southern love Agatha Warren and joins the Union army. He is later protected and saved from death by Agatha in spite of her loyalty to the South.
Dir: Cecil B. DeMille
Pregnant tenement dweller Maggie Schultz is being used by burglars and fears that though "I stole to keep my baby from being born in this rat hole... now he's going to be born in jail." But the tenement owner may refuse to prosecute.
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Dir: Cecil B. DeMille
A young American has her ship torpedoed by a German U-boat but makes it back to ancestral home in France, where she witnesses German brutality firsthand.
Dir: Cecil B. DeMille
A venal, spoiled stockbroker's wife impulsively embezzles $10,000 from the charity she chairs and desperately turns to a Burmese ivory trader to replace the stolen money.
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Dir: Cecil B. DeMille
Horace and Ethel Simpson, wealthy siblings touring Europe, fall prey to Russian conmen, one of who plans a marriage with Ethel. The executor of their fortune Daniel Pike, assisted by Grand Duke Vasill, exposes the Russians for what they are.
Dir: Cecil B. DeMille
Soda jerk Harvey is the most popular man in Blakeville, New York, and deliriously happy through three years of poverty-stricken marriage to Nellie. When a musical-comedy comes through town, Nellie becomes and actress and tag-along Harvey becomes "What's His Name." When Nellie falls for a millionaire and goes to Reno for a divorce, Harvey takes their child Phoebe home, where her later illness brings her parents back together.
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Dir: Cecil B. DeMille
Nora is nursemaid to a wealthy family and in love with their chauffeur Nolan. When she hides her mistress' lover in her room, jealous Nolan shoots him and Nora, who refuses to tell about her mistress affair, is dismissed.
Dir: Cecil B. DeMille
Esra Kincaid takes land by force, and having taken the Espinoza land, he sets his sight on the Castro rancho U.S. Government Agent Kearney holds him off until the cavalry shows up and he can declare his love for Juanita--"The Rose of the Rancho."
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Dir: Cecil B. DeMille
Chimmie is sent to Death Valley, California as part of a railroad scheme. He's to pretend to have discovered gold there, then set a new transcontinental record heading East. It doesn't quite work out that way.
View DetailsAnalysis relative to Old Wives for New
| Film Title | Atmosphere | Complexity | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maria Rosa | Ethereal | High | 94% Match |
| The Warrens of Virginia | Ethereal | Abstract | 98% Match |
| Kindling | Ethereal | High | 92% Match |
| The Little American | Ethereal | Linear | 91% Match |
| The Cheat | Gothic | Linear | 98% Match |
This guide was algorithmically generated using the cinematic metadata of Cecil B. DeMille's archive. Last updated: 6/14/2026.
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