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Recommendations
Senior Film Conservator
If you found yourself captivated by the character-driven intensity of Risky Business (1920), the profound questions raised in 1920 still require cinematic answers today. Experience the United States influence in these recommendations that echo Risky Business.
Risky Business remains a monumental achievement to provide a definitive example of Harry B. Harris's stylistic genius.
Society matron Mrs. Fanshaw Renwick entertains lavishly at her posh home. Living with her are her two daughters, Phillipa, a madcap eighteen-year-old, and her married sister Errica who is having an affair with Ralli, a designing South American. When Captain Chantry arrives with an impressive letter of introduction, Mrs. Renwick welcomes him while Phillipa falls in love with him. On the night of the masquerade party, Phillipa induces Chantry to take her to the party in disguise, because her mother will not permit her to attend. The captain, in reality a jewel thief, readily complies, believing it will provide him with the perfect opportunity to steal Mrs. Renwick's famous pearls. Chantry's scheme succeeds, and in the midst of the excitement over the missing pearls, Phillipa decides to substitute herself for her married sister at Errica's rendezvous with Ralli, in the hope of breaking up their affair. Errica begs Chantry to save Phillipa from Ralli's designs; and the thief, who has fallen in love with the madcap younger sister, risks capture to rescue her from the South American's yacht. After saving Phillipa, Chantry confesses his crime, returns the pearls, and vows to lead a clean life thereafter. Phillipa, forgiving his past, promises to wait for him.
Based on the unique character-driven intensity of Risky Business, our vault has identified these titles as the most compelling follow-up experiences for fans of Drama cinema:
Dir: Robert N. Bradbury
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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Dir: William Parke
Bruce Wendell, the son of West Virginia coal mine owner James Wendell, graduates from West Point and prepares to lead a fighting unit to the front during World War I. As his father lies dying, however, he convinces Bruce to remain at home and guard the mine. Bruce's fiancée Ann Blair assumes that he is a coward and breaks off their engagement, but her brother Bobbie remains Bruce's loyal friend. Meyer, a German agent, persuades railroad president Parrish to refuse to transport Wendell's coal, but when Bruce adamantly refuses to close the mine, the spy's men decide to blow it up. While Ann is being abducted by Meyer, Bobbie is buried in an explosion at the mine. Bruce rescues Bobbie and then sends a plea to Lieutenant Parrish to rescue Ann. Meyer and his gang are captured and Ann renews her vow of love to Bruce.
Dir: Eduardo Notari
A crime drama in the Gennariello-series. The police detective in Naples that is confronted with modern gangsters and crime events.
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Dir: Colin Campbell
Zora, a girl of French origin, is raised by a wealthy Bedouin family after her mother Valerie dies while eloping with another man. Zora feels such great longing for the French artist Adrien that she accepts the offer of another artist, Raoul, to take her to Paris with the stipulation that if Adrien rejects her, she must give herself to him. Jan, the chieftain's son who is in love with Zora, follows the two to Paris. There Zora realizes that Adrien does not love her and discovers her real love for Jan. However, she feels bound to honor her pact with Raoul and is about to succumb to his advances when her father appears and recognizes Raoul as the man who destroyed his home years earlier. In the ensuing fight between the two men, Raoul is killed, thus freeing Zora to accept Jan's love.
Dir: Dallas M. Fitzgerald
Confidence artist Flossie Golden attempts to fleece foolish but wealthy James Venable with a breach-of-promise suit. Venable's shrewd attorney, Richard Harding, outwits Flossie by proposing that she marry Venable and live on an allowance of $3,000 per year. Flossie is determined to get even with Harding for ruining her plans. In an attempt to con him, she poses as Innocence Page, but falls in love and marries him instead. Larry, Flossie's former accomplice, endeavors to blackmail her with her errant past, but Harding is already cognizant of the facts and Larry fails.
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Dir: Harry Southwell
A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.
Dir: Edgar Jones
A mail-order bride arrives at a Maine lumber camp but doesn't like her prospective husband.
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Dir: Victor Heerman
In the gold fields of the Canadian Northwest, a man is falsely accused of a crime and determines that a lookalike is responsible.
Dir: Tod Browning
Achmet Bey, a Turkish chieftain, catches one of his many wives in adultery and murders her lover. Throwing aside the cuckolding wife, he abducts his harem an innocent girl. However, a brave American who loves her comes to her rescue.
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Dir: Alexander Butler
In Alberta, Canada, a Cornish emigrant unmasks a rustler posing as the girl's "blind" father.
View DetailsAnalysis relative to Risky Business
| Film Title | Atmosphere | Complexity | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Into the Light | Gothic | Abstract | 89% Match |
| The Key to Power | Gritty | Dense | 91% Match |
| 'A mala nova | Surreal | Layered | 92% Match |
| Moon Madness | Surreal | Layered | 95% Match |
| Blackmail | Surreal | High | 88% Match |
This guide was algorithmically generated using the cinematic metadata of Harry B. Harris's archive. Last updated: 5/19/2026.
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