Cinematic Discoveries Following the Footsteps of The Seven Sisters: Cult Guide

Dir: Sidney Olcott

'Poleon and his daughter Oachi live a quiet existence in the North Woods, as do their neighbors, André and Marie Beauvais. Doré, a villainous whiskey runner fleeing from the Northwest Mounted Police, is hospitably welcomed by 'Poleon; but when he forces his attentions on Oachi, her father drives him away. Terror-stricken by the loss of his rattlesnake idol, and thus deprived of communion with the evil spirits, he is welcomed at André and Marie's cabin but is likewise thrashed soundly and sent on his way. Doré returns when Marie is ill, in André's absence, and kidnaps her during a storm; she escapes and leaps over an embankment, there to be found unconscious by Oachi the next day. Doré, driven mad with fear, returns to their home wounded, and a vision of Marie brings his death.

Dir: Sidney Olcott

Barbara Rand, the daughter of a poor but proud Southern widow, loses her sight after leaping through the window of a notorious roadhouse to escape an assailant. Her sister, Natalie, reluctantly abandons her fiancé, Ned Gardiner, and marries Oliver Landis, who can provide the money needed for Barbara's operation. Unaware that Oliver was Barbara's attacker, Natalie places the blame on his business partner, Howard Pollard, who was with Barbara on the night she was injured. As Natalie holds Howard at gunpoint, her husband arrives and promises to deal with the supposed villain. A struggle ensues between the two men, and Howard falls from a cliff to his death. After Barbara is released from the hospital, Oliver tries to blind her once again by removing her bandages prematurely. Natalie threatens him with a pistol, but Oliver wrests it away from her. He then realizes that he can no longer hide his guilt from Natalie or the police and shoots himself. Barbara has been avenged, and Natalie is free to marry Ned.

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

Dir: Sidney Olcott

Nora O'Brien leaves Ireland to visit her brother in America. On the trip she suffers a concussion, and soon is mistaken for another Irish girl named Nora who is on her way to visit her aunt in the US, Mrs. Watson, who has not seen her niece in many years. Nora, still somewhat dazed from her injury, is taken to the Watsons' home, and when Mrs. Watson's son Jack returns from college, he falls in love with her but cannot express it to her because he believes she is his cousin. Complications ensue.

Dir: Sidney Olcott

The story of a Japanese woman and the tragedy that ensues when she loves an American naval officer.

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

Dir: Sidney Olcott

A charming pastoral about two unwanted children finding acceptance and love, rare cinematic gem based on Kate Douglas Wiggin's novel of the same name.

Dir: Sidney Olcott

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

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

Dir: Sidney Olcott

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: Sidney Olcott

Young Victor Morenne is a fisherman in a small Belgian village during World War II, and he has a talent for sculpture. When he's encouraged by a French art connoisseur to leave Belgium for Paris to develop his skills as a sculptor, he takes the man's advice, but before he leaves he tells his sweetheart, Jeanne, that he will return to her. However, while in Paris he falls for the sophisticated Countess de Vries, who is actually a German spy. Complications ensue.

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

Dir: Sidney Olcott

An account of the life of Jesus Christ according to the New Testament, told as a series of tableaus interspersed with Bible verses.

Dir: Sidney Olcott

Three British subjects arrive in the land of the Rajah of Rukh during the time of the British Raj.