Hidden Genre Gems for Fans of The Devil's Daughter: Cult Guide

Dir: Frank Powell

Dr. Fernandez is believed by Mendoza, the military governor of Mexico, to possess hypnotic powers. Mendoza is in love with Dr. Fernandez's daughter Zora. When Zora displays no love for him, Mendoza assumes that the father is responsible for the failure of his suit. So great becomes the hatred between the two that when a faction of insurrectionists arises, the doctor places himself at its head and leads it against the Government. Dr. Fernandez is killed in battle. Meanwhile, the Governor's daughter Dolores suffers from somnambulism. While she is anxious to be cure, she dislikes to inform her father or her lover that she is so afflicted. Finally her old nurse makes the fact known to Zora, who possesses the hypnotic power that was her father's. Dolores submits to treatment at Zora's hands and is cured, Zora unaware that Dolores is engaged to Riques--Zora's sweetheart. When she does learn that the wedding day is set, she goes into a rage and contrives to get into the palace by night and hypnotizes Dolores. Shortly thereafter, Zora is denounced as a witch and carried away by an angry mob to be burned at the stake. Just before the torch is applied, the old nurse makes known to the Governor that his daughter has the habit of sleepwalking and is in a trance from which she cannot be roused. She also informs him that only person who can cure Dolores is Zora. At the last instant, the Governor stays the burning of Zora and promises her freedom if she will bring Dolores from her lethargic state. Zora, believing that the Governor is acting in good faith, goes to the palace and awakens Dolores. When she is found to be safe, the Governor goes back on his word and commits Zora to prison. She escapes, however, and Riques, who realizes that he loves Zora more than Dolores, runs away with her. The two are captured after a fight, and in the end Zora is put to death.

Dir: Frank Powell

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of His Last Dollar perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Former newsboy and jockey Joe Braxton, becomes a millionaire rancher and decides to visit New York. He soon becomes the prey of swindler Tom Linson and socialite Viola Grayson. Linson defrauds Braxton's old employer, Colonel Downs, and attempts to corrupt Eleanor, the colonel's daughter. When Eleanor learns that Linson intends to destroy Joe on the stock exchange, she warns him, disregarding Linson's threat to ruin her reputation. Eleanor is too late, but Joe recovers his losses by riding Mongrel to victory in the Kentucky Futurity, after having stacked his last dollar on the horse's success.

Dir: Frank Powell

A reception given by the Count to celebrate his daughter Ann's engagement to Baron Moreno is disrupted by the news that a mine in which the whole village has invested is worthless. When the Count, who persuaded the townspeople to invest their savings in the venture, commits suicide, the baron jilts the now-destitute Ann. She marries Slater, an American promoter, and they move to the United States, hoping to earn enough to pay off her father's debts, but the baron follows Ann and forces his attentions on her. This provides Slater's mother, who is insanely jealous of her son's love for his wife, with the opportunity to break up their marriage. Slater orders his wife from the house and the baron offers her sanctuary. Ann's baby's incessant crying for her mother forces Slater to attempt a reconciliation, and when he looks for her, he finds her with the baron. In the ensuing fight, both men are mortally wounded. Ann returns to her child; she finds her mother-in-law repentant, and the three return to France to repay the debt.

Dir: Frank Powell

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

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: Frank Powell

Stevens, the bank clerk, is ambitious. His great desire is to become a lawyer. He stays at the bank at night to study, but is unable to take a course at college owing to his poverty. He handles immense sums of money every day and is strongly tempted to steal some, but fights off the desire till one evening when a belated customer comes late to the bank with a deposit of several thousand dollars. He sees a way for his ambition to be gratified and takes the money. His wife refuses to go with him, so he deserts her and his small daughter and goes away. Some time later we see him in a strange town living under an assumed name. His ambition has been gratified and through the good will of the political boss he has been made a judge. He falls in love with the daughter of his friend, the boss, but is deterred from marriage by the thought of his wife whom he had deserted. In the meantime Mrs. Stevens has become destitute and unable to support her daughter. She takes her daughter to an orphan asylum and releases all claim on her. Mrs. Stevens is unable to obtain work and at last is found unconscious and taken to a hospital. Her handbag, containing her identification papers, is lost and picked up by another woman who is in the last stages of exhaustion. The woman succumbs to the cold and on being found is thought to be Mrs. Stevens. Her death as Mrs. Stevens is reported to the papers. Judge Harding (formerly Stevens) sees the report of the death and marries the daughter of the boss. The boss decides to run Judge Harding for governor of the state, but his choice is attacked very strongly by a young lawyer, Norris. The boss and Harding try to buy Norris, but finding that he cannot be reached they decide to "frame up" his sweetheart in order to break his determination to prevent the election of Harding. They get her into trouble and Judge Harding is appointed to try the case. He is conducting the case in a very severe manner with a decided feeling against the prisoner. The superintendent of the orphan asylum has followed the course of the little girl's life and comes to the city to see her. She recognizes Mrs. Stevens as the woman who left the child at the orphanage and takes her to see the trial. As Mrs. Stevens enters she recognizes in Judge Harding the man who deserted her so many years ago. While the jury have retired to settle the case Mrs. Stevens accuses Judge Harding. The sudden excitement causes an attack of heart failure just as the jury return with a verdict of "Not Guilty."

Dir: Frank Powell

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

Hedda Gabler, the degenerate daughter of a drunken, dueling father, has just returned with her husband, George Tesman, from their honeymoon. Hedda, who possesses an uncanny affection for her father's pistols, lives in jealous watchfulness over Ejlert Lovberg, a former lover whom she often pictures in Tesman's place, in her imagination. Lovberg, while under the positive influence of Thea Elvsted, has written an important book, and Hedda, learning this, sets out to recapture Lovberg's affection, whereupon he takes to drinking, loses the manuscript, and is cast into despair. Tesman finds the manuscript, which Hedda then obtains from him. Lovberg then breaks with Thea and goes to Hedda. She shows him her pistols; he takes one and goes to Thea's home where, in her arms, he shoots himself. Hedda, after burning the manuscript that she regards as the child of Lovberg and Thea, shoots herself as well.

Dir: Frank Powell

Wealthy Wall Street broker Thomas Maughm finally decides to divorce his spendthrift and reckless wife, and dictates a letter to that affect to his stenographer, Mary Moreland. While dictating the letter, he realizes that he is actually in love with Mary; when he tells her this, she confesses that she loves him, also, The pair make plans to meet in Boston later that night, but before Mary leaves, Maughm's wife confronts her and tells Mary that she still loves her husband. Ashamed, Mary convinces Maughm to go back to his wife. Complications ensue.

Dir: Frank Powell

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

Farmer Leo Bannister is crazy about his neighbor Auriole Praed, but she finds him to becoming on too strong. She travels to Paris to see her brother, and there falls in love with and marries Otto Bettany, a young painter. When the couple return home, Bannister--still carrying a torch for Auriole--plots to claim Auriole for himself by using a beautiful young actress to work her "charms" on Otto and then showing Auriole how untrustworthy her new husband is.

Dir: Frank Powell

Blanche Merrill, the handsome wife of a young artist who is seeking his way to fame, is surprised when her husband Bob, seeing her standing before a mirror, insists upon painting her portrait. The painting is exhibited and attracts the attention of Boyd, a theatrical manager and playboy who seeks Blanche out and entices her to leave her husband with promises of a theatrical career. Blanche leads a life of indulgence with Boyd until, feeling the pangs of dissolution, she awakens in her husband's arms to discover that it was all a dream.

Dir: Frank Powell

Young society rake Gerard Buckland spies a pretty girl walking down the street. As he tries to figure out a way to approach her, he sees a disreputable-looking man surreptitiously hand her a diamond necklace, which she hides on her person before fading into the crowd and disappearing from sight. Later that day he visits a friend's home, and is astounded to meet that same girl. During their conversation she claims that, as a lark, she picks her friends' pockets of valuables and gives them back later--but Gerard doesn't quite buy it. It turns out that she is, in fact, not what she says she is, but not in the way Gerard thinks.