Hand-Picked Alternatives Movies That Echo the Spirit of The America...

Dir: Frank Reicher

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: Frank Reicher

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

Maris, having married Lynch, a worthless man who deserts her, taking their daughter Felice with him, marries mill owner Dwight Alden after receiving notification that her husband and child are dead. Discovering that Alden employs child labor, Maris, assisted by the village minister, tries to persuade him that this is wrong, but he will tolerate no interference in his business. After violently denouncing Alden from the pulpit, the minister dies and Maris becomes interested in a child who has been injured while working overtime at the mill, only to discover that the child is her daughter and her first husband is still alive. She leaves, taking Felice, and Alden, after having a fight with the first husband, discovers that Lynch had secured a divorce. Alden seeks out Maris, tells her that he has abolished child labor and made other improvements affecting the welfare of his workers, and a reconciliation occurs.

Dir: Frank Reicher

A slave switches her light-skinned baby with her master's baby. The child grows up raised by whites.

Dir: Frank Reicher

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Pudd'nhead Wilson perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

The family of an Irish landlord want him to wed who they think is a visiting heiress from the US but the real heiress pretends she is just a servant and hides her identity.

Dir: Frank Reicher

Soon after arriving in the U.S., Romanian immigrant Franz Libelt dies, leaving his daughter Michelna an orphan. The girl is befriended by newsboy Blackie Moyle, who invites her to share his home, which is a large piano box in a vacant lot. After he teaches her to be a "newsie," she cuts her hair, dresses as a boy, and changes her name to Mike. When Blackie is blinded while protecting her from a thief, Mike is forced to find a way to support them both. It occurs to her that two clay statuettes they sculpted might be valuable, so she takes them to an art exhibit. Mike's statue, known as the "trouble buster," sells immediately, but she credits Blackie as the sculptor. He then becomes the sensation of the art world and is sent to Paris to have his sight restored. Blackie comes to understand Mike's deception and returns to the U.S. to set things right. When Blackie is finally reunited with Michelna, she asks why he came back, and he replies, "For the love of Mike."

Dir: Frank Reicher

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

Louis, Count de Tavannes, and his companion, Dimitri, lead a gay life in Paris. On the return trip of a motor tour, they stop at an inn and discover Rosette, the daughter of the innkeeper, who dances for the guests, not from choice, but necessity. Dimitri suggests they take her to Paris. The patrons of the inn, jealous of the fashionably-attired young men and the attention paid them, raise a riot. During the uproar Rosette is taken to the motor and to Paris, where she goes to a hotel with Louis, her favorite of the two young men. During their breakfast the next morning, she learns from Louis' lips that he will not marry her. Remy, the faithful servant of the inn, has sought her out, grasps the situation, strikes Louis in the face and a fight ensues between the two men. Louis is discovered, bleeding and unconscious, and taken to the home of a young priest. Through the influence of the good men whom he has thus accidentally met, he enters the priesthood. Rosette secures a position as dancer in a café of the underworld in Paris, patronized by the rough element, and occasionally by the wealthy class in search of excitement. Dimitri is at this café, trying to induce Rosette to drink and dance, as Father Louis enters in search of a man whose wife is ill. The recognition is mutual, and none is so surprised as Dimitri. The latter plans an elaborate supper for himself and Rosette, and Louis interrupts them. As Louis uses his good influence for the girl, Dimitri is exerting a conflicting power, and Rosette bids them fight it out, "for God and my soul, or the devil and my body." With only their hands for weapons, the men go to battle, Louis with a righteous determination to win, and he does. He takes the girl to a convent, where she realizes her great love for Louis and a desire to live a pure life. Father Louis has won the love of the patrons of the café, and when the war is on and France calls for her men, he with his followers tries to defend the convent where Sister Rose Marie is. Mortally wounded, Sister Rose Marie falls across the dead body of the man she loves, and they are united in spirit, although their lives have been sacrificed in an attempt to save other souls, endeared to them.

Dir: Frank Reicher

Wealthy American widow Elizabeth Carter plans to marry the Earl of Dettminster when lawyer Augustus Tucker informs her of a codicil in her late husband's will. The Carter fortune will go to nephew Pitney Carter, who is in love with Elizabeth, if her second husband is not an American. Elizabeth therefore pays penniless playwright Jasper Mallory $50,000 to marry her and schemes with actress Mme. Albani to provide grounds for divorce so that she may then make the earl her third husband. The plan backfires when Jasper's play is a success and Elizabeth finds herself falling in love with him. Tucker admits to forging the codicil to enhance Pitney's chances with Elizabeth. As Jasper and Elizabeth announce their plans to remain married, a telegram arrives with news that Mme. Albani and the earl have wed.

Dir: Frank Reicher

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

When a young girl is placed under hypnotism, it's discovered that she has a split personality.

Dir: Frank Reicher

A Japanese maiden is pursued by an unscrupulous American young man who falsely believes her to have great riches.

Dir: Frank Reicher

During the California gold rush, four unsuccessful miners assume that a woman prospector will give in without a fight, so they jump the claim of Kate Kenner and take her gold away from her. Afterward, although she is Sheriff Dan Deering's sweetheart, Kate decides to take the law into her own hands. Donning the trademark black mask of Silver Spurs, the noted bandit, Kate holds up the saloon where the crooks have stored the gold. As she makes her getaway, however, Dan catches her, and after unmasking her, is astonished to discover Silver Spur's true identity. The town puts Kate on trial immediately and a guilty verdict seems assured until the real Silver Spurs, who had greatly admired the masquerade, himself steals the gold and leaves a note exonerating Kate. Then, taking time out from his sheriff's duty, Dan, instead of pursuing Silver Spurs, starts making plans with Kate for their wedding.