The Auteur's Selection Complementing the Tone of The Great Mail Rob...

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: 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.

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

Dir: Eduardo Notari

A crime drama in the Gennariello-series. The police detective in Naples that is confronted with modern gangsters and crime events.

Dir: Alexander Butler

In Alberta, Canada, a Cornish emigrant unmasks a rustler posing as the girl's "blind" father.

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

Dir: Bruno Ziener

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: Wilfred Lucas

Brian O'Farrell (Snowy Baker), is an English 'new chum' who takes a job at an Australian cattle station. He is teased by station hands because of his appearance (including spats and a monocle) but he soon impresses them with his skills at riding and boxing. The station manager, John MacDonald (Wilfred Lucas), takes O'Farrell to Sydney to meet his daughter Edith (Kathleen Key) who is working in the slums. Edith is kidnapped by criminals after witnessing a crime but O'Farrell rescues her. It is later revealed he is the owner of the station.

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

Dir: George B. Seitz

Episode 1: "The Violet Diamond" Pearl Standish, bored with society and longing for excitement, is held up by a masked man who demands the violet diamond of The Daroon. He tells her that her father bought the diamond from a villainous priest in Arabia who stole it from its rightful owner. The masked man, Nicholas Knox, has been given three days to recover the diamond or die at the hands of the Secret Order at the head of which is a priestess who stops at nothing to gain her end. The only man that might know something about this diamond is Richard Carslake, her father's former secretary. In spite of the knowledge that her father and he had a disagreement, she requests him to give her what information he has concerning the violet diamond. Just then Knox enters, Pearl points to him and says, "There is the man who has the gold setting in which the stone belongs." Immediately Carslake moves toward the door. Locking it and drawing his revolver, he demands the setting for the diamond. Searching Knox he finds the setting and is about to escape when through the window comes the priestess, accompanied by two of her spies, who sneak behind Carslake and knock the revolver from his hand. In the struggle which follows, Knox recovers the setting. After a struggle Carslake escapes and Pearl finds herself alone with Knox. Wishing to know the identity of the mysterious woman who helped him, Pearl asks Knox. "I can tell you nothing," is his reply. "Well then if you can tell me nothing, I want you to hand over that apparently much-valued setting for the violet diamond," Pearl assures, covering him. Assisted by her butler, Pearl secures this setting, but the spies come to Knox's assistance again and Pearl is attacked by an Arab. In a struggle with him on the stairs, she is hurled over the rail but catches on to the chandelier and falls to the floor. Knox is finally overpowered by the butler. Standing by a window, Pearl discovers a knife stuck in the wall. Pearl pulls this knife from the wall and discovers a note on it. "Fifteen days are allotted to you to return the violet diamond or die," it reads. "What is this mysterious diamond, the possession of which means such dangers?" is the question which will bring audiences back for the next chapter.

Dir: Frank Beal

During a raging Montana snowstorm, Doctor Jim Barnes collapses at Esther Anderson's cabin door. Esther offers Jim refuge, but when he discovers that their food supplies are running dangerously low, he braves the journey into town in order to replenish them. On the way, he is overcome with exhaustion and fails to return. Esther, unaware of Jim's condition and abused by her stepfather, joins a theatrical troop and leaves home. Time passes and Jim finally finds Esther, but a vindictive member of her troupe accuses her of having an affair with the manager and Jim believes the accusation. He leaves and Esther goes to New York City where she becomes engaged to a jealous artist, although she still loves Jim. Sam Tuttle, a long time friend, is aware of Esther's continuing love, and so brings Jim to New York City in time to save Esther from an unhappy marriage.

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of Eva, wo bist du? perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

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.

Dir: George B. Seitz

A young heiress of an American gun factory is threatened by a masked man after her father was murdered. This criminal might be a member of her family or a German agent, who wants to get information about the factory's products, perhaps his mystery has a combined solution - we will probably never know...