Essential Cult Cinema Drawn from the Same DNA as Poppy: Cult Guide

Dir: Edward José

The elderly Italian sculptor Donata di Marchesi has his beautiful daughter Diana pose for his last masterpiece, "The Island Goddess." When Donata's profligate nephew Count Gabrielle realizes the sculpture's value, he courts Diana and she falls in love with him. Prince Marko visits to view the statue and he falls in love with Diana. Because he earlier had discovered that Gabrielle forged his name on checks, when Marko learns that Gabrielle and Diana are about to elope, he agrees not to denounce Gabrielle and to tear up the checks if he leaves. After Diana's father dies, she marries Marko. Later, in Rome, Gabrielle comes to extort money from Marko. Diana overhears them and learns about their deal. Thinking that Marko only wanted the statue, she breaks it and returns to the island. Marko and Gabrielle follow and fight on a cliff, then, after Gabrielle knifes Marko, Marko pushes him to his death. Marko lies critically ill for days with his brain affected, until Diana, enwrapped in silk, poses as the statue. Marko revives and embraces her.

Dir: Edward José

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

Leonora is the daughter of a poor lace-maker. She possesses a beautiful voice, but is not aware of the opportunity it offers her. Wealthy Americans Mr. and Mrs. Stuart discover its powers, and after her mother's death they adopt Leonora and her younger sister Nina. Shortly afterwards she blossoms forth in Paris as its idol. She is now "La Vecci," a much-admired and sought-after prima donna. One of her most ardent suitors is Count Nerval of Spain, whom she refuses to marry because of his unusually jealous disposition--although she does love him. His American cousin Phillip also becomes infatuated with the singer. Jealous of this new rival, Nerval almost forces Leonora to marry him. They depart for America for their honeymoon. Nina, accompanying them, meets young doctor Paul Spencer aboard ship and they fall in love. Leonora goes on tour in the States and when in the South receives an invitation to visit Phillip and his parents. He again makes love to her, but she remains faithful to her marriage vows, so fickle Phillip turns his attention on Nina. Jealous Nerval breaks with Leonora for the time being because of her presence in his cousin's home. Nina receives a letter from Paul saying that he is coming to visit. Leonora shows the letter to Phillip, asking her to discontinue favoring Nina with his attention. That night Phillip attempts to kiss the charmer; afraid, she tries to stab him with a dagger. He easily defends himself and seizes her in his arms and she faints, but when she recovers, she discovers Phillip dead. When Paul arrives, he conducts an investigation and proves that Leonora could not have inflicted the wound. Soon after, a Creole girl confesses to the deed. She had loved Phillip. Later Leonora and her husband are reunited. Motion Picture News, September 28, 1918

Dir: Edward José

After many years, Dick Hedlar, a staff artist, stationed in the Soudan, returns to England to find his pictures have made him famous. He has always cherished memories of his childhood sweetheart, Maizie, and at an exhibition of his pictures he meets her again and the old romance is revived. She, still struggling to make a name for herself in the world of Art, refuses his offer of marriage, fearing that her acceptance would mean a hindrance to their careers. Dick tries to comfort himself with his painting. Bessie, a model, comes into his life and makes love to him. In the meanwhile love overcomes Maizie's decision and in a sudden resolve she goes to Dick's studio to tell him that she will marry him. She finds Dick repulsing the advances of Bessie and mistakes the situation as being Dick's overtures to the demi-monde. She leaves in disgust and refuses to hear his explanations the next day. An accident affects his eyesight, and gradually going blind, he completes his master picture. His bosom friend, Torpenhow, brings some of his friends to Dick's studio to admire the picture, only to find that Bessie has ruined the masterpiece. They keep the fact from the now totally blind Dick, and he as a last gift to Maizie sends the picture to her unknowing what has happened to it. Torpenhow, horrified at what has happened, goes to see Maizie, and she learns of the injustice she has done Dick. She and Torpenhow make haste to Dick's studio only to find him gone. Cursed with the blindness and with a deep ache in his heart, Dick has heard the call of the East. They follow the trail of the "mad Englishman," as he is called, for many hundreds of miles and reach him just as a horde of Dervishes are about to make an attack, in the skirmish both Maizie and Dick are wounded and die in each other's arms. In Dick's clenched hand Torpenhow finds the verse of their childhood dreams, cherished through all the years.

Dir: Edward José

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

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: Edward José

Episode 1: "The Vengeance of Legar" The story begins years ago on an island in the South. Enoch Golden, a wealthy planter, catches Jules Legar, a scheming physician, making love to his wife in an attempt to learn the secret hiding place of Golden's wealth. Suspecting the worst, Golden sends his wife away, and as punishment to Legar has his handsome face branded with white-hot irons and his hand crushed in a vise. Then Legar, set free, swears vengeance and begins his villainy by opening the sluice-gates that keep the sea from inundating the island. The waters rush in and the entire island is flooded and its houses swept away in the swirling waters. Legar kidnaps Golden's daughter, Margery, whom, in the next scene, twenty years later, we see grown to beautiful maidenhood, in his ominous power. Hate still lives in Legar's heart, and he sends Margery to a denizen of the underworld in whose house she is to be detained. But here steps in a mysterious gallant known as "The Laughing Mask," who saves her, for the nonce, from her fate.

Dir: Edward José

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

Spoiled young heiress Lucy Gillam knows only a life filled with parties and flirtations until she falls in love with a man who loves only her money. She marries him, and after their child is born, she is confronted with life's harsh realities after her husband demands more and more money with which to support his mistress. When he tires of his other woman, he discards her and she kills herself. Suspicion for her death points to her ex-lover, and after much misfortune, Lucy is freed from the burden of her husband and faces life as a responsible adult.

Dir: Edward José

In the blossom time in spring, in the sunny southland, Anabel Lee returned home from the young ladies' finishing academy. Warner Richmond, the favorite of society and beloved by all the maids for miles around, received notice to come to his grandfather's home to stay with him during his last days. Warner did so and on his arrival was warned by his grandfather to forego the society of the fair sex, but Warner one day passed by where Anabel sat reading and to her he was her prince charming. Forced to marry Anabel, Warner insisted on keeping the marriage a secret on account of his grandfather's wishes. Just after the grandfather died, leaving Warner a large fortune, he became enamored with an opera singer of fame. Destroying all records of his marriage to Anabel, he then married the opera singer, but love in this case lasted until she secured all his money. Soon believing her husband dead. Anabel married the sweetheart of her childhood days. No cloud darkened the sky of their happiness until Warner came wandering in his drunken travels to the old countryside again. Attended in his delirium by Anabel's doctor husband, he gives out the story of his life. The doctor returns to find Anabel gone with her child. He follows. Warner in his delirium overturns a lamp and the house burns to the ground with all evidence to clear Anabel's name. But love finds the way.

Dir: Edward José

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

In sixteenth century Greece, Gismonda, the Duchess of Athens, entertains a stream of suitors, although she only loves her little son Francesco. Prince Zaccaria, who wishes to become the duke of Athens, kidnaps Francesco and throws him into a pit holding a huge lion. The duchess, terrified that her child is in danger, offers to marry the man who rescues her boy. The deed is accomplished by a humble huntsman, Almerio, but Gismonda soon breaks her promise, not wishing to marry a commoner. To persuade him to release her from her vow, the duchess visits Almerio one night but is seen by Zaccaria and his cohort Gregoras leaving the hut in the morning. Zaccaria determines to kill the huntsman, but Gismonda stabs him at Almerio's door. Having discovered who was responsible for Francesco's entrapment, Gismonda has Gregoras arrested. Finally realizing her great love for Almerio, she bestows on him the title of duke and marries him.

Dir: Edward José

Sincere but struggling sculptor Tommasso (Caruso--bushy moustache, gawky) works in an ornamental plaster shop, but his masterpiece on the side is a bust of his cousin Caroli (Caruso--no moustache, polished), who is the Metropolitan Opera's leading tenor. Tommasso hopes to marry his model Rosa, but her father, restaurant owner Pietro, wants her to find someone more settled and money-conscious, such as the greengrocer Lombardi down the street. Tommasso, he says, throws away his money, such as for a pair of tickets to take Rosa to the opera to see his famed cousin. After the opera, the cousins cross paths in the swanky Galeotto's restaurant, but when neither recognizes the other, Tommasso is generally mocked and Rosa believes him a liar and unworthy. Tommasso must recover his reputation and make a sale, preferably the Caroli bust to his cousin, in order to win Rosa back.

Dir: Edward José

Fedora, a beautiful and elegant woman of Russian society, travels to Paris in search of her fiance's murderer.