The Essential Watchlist Similar Cinematic Experiences to The Desire of the Moth: Cult Guide

Dir: Rupert Julian

Two families had been neighbors in the South for years; Maud, her brother Howard, and Cecil Lane were playmates. One day as they were playing on the lawn the fathers of Maud and Cecil betroth their children in a bumper of wine. Shortly thereafter Cecil's father loses his fortune through poor speculation and commits suicide. Maud is sent away to school. Cecil begins a musical education, remaining at home and growing up to be the village music teacher. Years later Maud returns home, and soon her brother Howard arrives with a foppish friend, Lord Lovelace, who straightaway lays siege to Maud's heart. Maud and Cecil meet at the village shrine and renew their childhood love. Against her will Maud consents to a betrothal with Lord Lovelace. On the night of the betrothal party Maud and Cecil plan to elope, but their arrangements are discovered and thwarted, a duel between Cecil and Howard developing with in the hour. Maud hears the shots fired, and beholding her brother slightly wounded sends Cecil away in anger. He leaves the village under the impression that Howard will die. Cecil goes far away, and in a great city his musical talents are recognized. Maud, meanwhile, in contrition, would have Cecil return to her, but he keeps his mother poorly informed and Maud is unable to get word to him. When Cecil composes the song, "Come Into the Garden, Maud," his fame is assured. At this time war breaks out and Cecil, Lord Lovelace and Howard become soldiers, eventually meeting on the battlefield. Lord Lovelace knows of Cecil's song and his great fame as its composer, and at the moment he is about to die of his wounds, Lord Lovelace sends word to Cecil, that Maud is waiting for Cecil in the garden. Believing that Cecil has been killed in battle at the same time her brother Howard and Lord Lovelace die of their wounds, Maud decides to dedicate her life to religion and enters a convent. When Cecil ultimately comes home he is too late to reach Maud with any communication. He spends the rest of his life in sorrow going every day to the convent walls and playing his famous song that Maud might hear and know that he thus awaits the final end, faithful to his childhood sweetheart.

Dir: Rupert Julian

A poor man assumes the identity of a wealthy look-alike after accidentally killing him; his wife prefers the new, non-abusive version and falls in love him.

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

Dir: Rupert Julian

Danny, the driver of a brewery wagon, marries Mamie; soon after, she becomes infatuated with artist Gaston Bouvais. When Marie gives birth to Daisy May, Danny is led to believe at the hospital that the baby is not his. Shattered, he embarks upon a life of drinking and carousing. Nevertheless, he loves the little girl, and as she grows up, Daisy May joins him on the brewery wagon. On one of these trips, Danny drinks too much and loses control of his horses, and Daisy May is injured in the melee. Meanwhile, Bouvais has finally convinced Mamie to run away with him, but Danny's accident finally awakens in her the love she feels for him, and she refuses to go. Rejected, Bouvais marries another woman and happiness is restored to Danny and Mamie. When they reconcile, Daisy May recovers and Danny embarks upon the new career of driving a milk wagon.

Dir: Rupert Julian

In modern times Paul Winthrop visits an island and paints a picture of Joe, a picturesque pearl diver. He dresses him in pirate garb and when the picture is done Joe cannot take his eyes from it. The two men instinctively recognize each other. Joe is another Jean Lafitte, Paul is his antagonist of the years before. Later Joe stumbles across a case of pirate treasure buried along the shore. By a plate on the box he reads the name of the one-time owner, Jean Lafitte. With this treasure he is enabled to visit the United States, where in New York he again finds Paul Winthrop. Paul is in love with Lily Demorest, but her parents have signified their desire that she marry Robert Spurr, a millionaire. Joe is immediately attracted to her and decides to kidnap her. First his motive is charitable. He intends turning her over to Paul, who is timid about such action himself. Then he decides to keep her for himself, but Lily cries out for Paul and then to the pirate descendant dawns the true meaning of the curse fastened on his ancestor by the woman he coveted. So he returns her to Paul, and though it is difficult he finds some happiness in the thought of their reunion.

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

Dir: Rupert Julian

Ex-convict Dale Revenal arrives at Dudley Appleton's ranch bearing a letter of introduction from John Silver, Appleton's old friend. Appleton hires Dale, who, through his winning manner, soon wins the respect of the ranch hands and the love of the ranch owner's daughter Mary Jane. Believing himself unworthy of her, Dale tells Mary Jane that he has a wife and child in Arizona, and she reluctantly agrees to marry Jack Nelda, a local rancher. Nelda realizes that Mary Jane is still in love with Dale and plots with Bessie Dupont and her brother Pinto to kill him. Bessie, however, warns Dale, but when he confronts Nelda at the saloon, Pinto shoots him, wounding him in the shoulder. John Silver comes to Dale's aid and Nelda is killed. Silver reveals that Dale's "wife" in Arizona is really his sister, and Dale finally accepts Mary Jane's love.

Dir: Rupert Julian

In 19th-century France, wealthy, single young Bettina is pursued by dozens of young men, but she believes that they're interested more in her money than in her and rejects them all. Young Army Lt. Jean Reynaud meets her and falls for her without knowing how wealthy she is; when he finally finds out, he is afraid that, because of her high social status and his low one, he'll be perceived to be just another gold-digger, and his sense of honor won't permit that, so he turns her away. She, however, doesn't want to be turned away, and he finds the tables turned when she pursues him.

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

Dir: Rupert Julian

Miner Dan Stuyvesant finally strikes it rich, but on his way to report his claim, he is shot. When Jack Dedlow, the head of a gang of outlaws, hears this news, he rides to Stuyvesant's cabin intending to secure the claim for himself. There the outlaws find Stuyvesant's daughter Hilda, the sweetheart of Tom Flynn, and are about to draw cards for her when Dago Sam pulls out his guns and spirits her out the door. Because Tom is his only friend, Sam determines to protect Hilda from the gang, but when Tom suspiciously questions his intentions toward Hilda, Sam decides to live up to the town's poor opinion of him. Hilda saves herself by declaring her faith in Sam and, his spirits restored, he returns her to Tom. Dedlow is killed in a fight at Sam's cabin, and Tom and Sam renew their friendship.

Dir: Rupert Julian

In the act of robbing a set of rare jewels from a museum, a robber is wounded in the hand. Prentice Tiller, while dressing a wound in his hand, overhears the woman in the next hotel room, Gertrude Temple, telephoning Aaron Molitor, to whom she is to deliver some jewels. Posing as Molitor, Prentice calls on Gertrude but disappears when Molitor, who also has been wounded in the hand, suddenly arrives. Molitor's men capture Prentice, who narrowly escapes death in the ruins of an old church and then continues to track Molitor. Gertrude accompanies Molitor and her uncle, Simon Temple, to Paris, where they are met by master crook Chevat and the woman who loves him, Lola Montez. Lola becomes jealous of Gertrude and tries to kill her, but Prentice rescues her. Through a ruse, Prentice, who finally is revealed as a detective, captures Chevat and his gang, returns the jewels to their rightful owner and then proposes to Gertrude.

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

Dir: Rupert Julian

When Marie Louise, the daughter of the town factor, returns home from school, Julio Sandoval, a reckless young half-breed ruled by his animal instincts, develops a passion for the girl, even though she is engaged to Captain McKeever of the mounted police. Meeting Marie when she is alone in the woods one day, the half-breed carries her to his cabin on the mountain top where he collapses from an attack of mountain fever brought on by overexertion. Taking pity on Julio, Marie nurses him back to health, and when the rescue party arrives, she does not betray him. Upon her return to town, Marie learns that McKeever has been taken prisoner by the outlaw Joe Bedotte. Marie pleads with Julio to rescue the captain, and in gratitude, he goes to the mountains, frees the captain and surrenders his own life as a consequence.

Dir: Rupert Julian

In a little town in France live orphan siblings Gabrielle and Anatole Picard. Gabrielle has been a mother to her brother since their own mother died and they are devoted to each other. Their friend is Pierre Dupont, who is in love with Gabrielle. When the call comes to fight for France, the two men join the colors. Gabrielle promises Pierre that if he will watch out for her brother that she will marry him upon his return. In the field, Anatole becomes the bugler of the regiment and during one of the skirmishes he and Pierre become separated from the main division of the army and with them, Peppy, the drummer boy, who dies. So it is that the report comes to the village that the two men are dead. Later the invading army reaches the village. They enter the cottage of Gabrielle and order her to serve them with drinks, which she does, but when they order her to drink a toast against France, she throws the liquor in the officers' face. Years elapse and Anatole and Pierre return to the village. No one knows of Gabrielle's whereabouts, as she was last seen when the invading army entered the village. Their search is fruitless. At last they settled down in the rebuilt cottage. But never does Pierre lose an opportunity to recount the valor of Anatole when the commander of the foe ordered him to give the bugle call for retreat with the promise that he would be spared and instead Anatole had given the call to charge. Thus the enemy was routed. Dissard, an officer of the French government, is at the head of a committee to bestow honors upon those who have done brave deeds. It so happens that the reception which he has planned for a certain officer will have to be abandoned, owing to the hero's death, unless Dissard can find some other one to take his place. The records are searched and it is decided to decorate Anatole Picard. Accordingly he is sent for. Pierre and Anatole decide to march to Paris in spite of the protest of the villagers, but just as they are at the gates of Paris, Anatole becomes so weak that he cannot go further and dies in a peasant's cabin. Pierre goes on alone and receives the decoration from the President and makes a speech which wins the hearts of his audience. He tells them of Gabrielle and the part she had had in making a hero of Anatole, spectators thinking that Pierre is Anatole. Much to his surprise, Gabrielle, now an old woman, enters the banquet room and the two are united. On their way back to the village, she asks where her brother is and Pierre promises to take her to him. They go to the little peasant cabin where Pierre left Anatole and shrouded in the flag of France. Then Pierre decorates the body with the cross which he received for Anatole, as he never intended keeping the honor for himself.