The Recommended Vault Deeply Connected to The Sparrow: Cult Guide

Dir: Maurice Tourneur

Editor of the Louisville Gazette sends happy-go-lucky cub reporter Steve Oldham to cover a feud in the hills that began when Jim Renlow's pig was caught eating Bill White's turnips. Although Steve tries to remain impartial, he falls in love with schoolteacher Alice Renlow. At a "Truce Dance" given to raise money for Alice's salary, Steve drinks too much and innocently kisses Peggy White, who then tells her relatives that they are engaged. Later, when Steve is seen kissing Alice's hand, the Whites take Steve captive and plan to shoot him at sunrise. Alice pleads with Tilden White, who loves her, to allow Steve to escape, but he agrees only if Steve will leave alone. When Steve refuses, Alice confesses her love. They fight until the house which they are occupying is destroyed and the cavalry, notified by Steve's newspaper, arrives. The two sides are now reconciled as Steve and Alice prepare to marry.

Dir: Maurice Tourneur

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

The story of the training of a racehorse, the Whip, of the amnesiac nobleman who loves the horse, and of the villains who attempt to keep it from racing.

Dir: Maurice Tourneur

The wealthy but selfish parents of a lonely young girl begin to rethink what is important to them after a servant's irresponsibility results in a crisis.

Dir: Maurice Tourneur

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of The Poor Little Rich Girl perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Peggy Admaston and her husband are socialites whose happy marriage quickly deteriorates as Admaston neglects his young wife for business matters, and is unaware of her loneliness and vulnerability. When Peggy is wooed by Admaston's friend Collingwood, who acts on his feelings without regard to consequences, she grows fond of him, but remains faithful to Admaston. After socialite Lady Attwill causes Admaston to doubt his wife's fidelity, his suspicions are furthered when a fire erupts one evening at the theater, and Admaston returns home unexpectedly to find that Peggy, who refused to accompany him because she said that she did not feel well, entertained a male visitor that evening. Admaston arranges to trap Peggy and Collingwood together at a country roadhouse, and begins divorce proceedings based on the resulting strong circumstantial evidence. Later, Lady Attwill convinces Admaston that Peggy's friendship with Collingwood was innocent and the couple is reunited.

Dir: Maurice Tourneur

After being expelled from college, Giles runs away from home and meets and falls for a young lady.

Dir: Maurice Tourneur

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

Arriving with her husband in Arabia, Katherine Wyvrne is ready for romantic times in the exotic Middle East, but her aristocratic husband prefers to be out hunting "Barbara sheep" than fulfilling his wife's desires. She soon meets up with the dashing Arab chief Benchaalai and falls for his charms, but he has a much more sinister goal in mind for her than romance.

Dir: Maurice Tourneur

Vincento Perez, the governor of the Portuguese colony of Exile, is an unscrupulous and brutal man who is hated by the natives. Furthering his schemes, Perez tries to force silk dealers out of business, and reveals his plans to government engineer Richmond Harvey in a letter appealing for the American's help. The engineer threatens to expose the plot and Perez, facing ruin and death, sends his wife Claudia to Harvey to offer herself in exchange for the letter. In Harvey's bungalow, Claudia confesses her love for the American who, refusing to take advantage of the situation, offers her the letter. She returns to her husband, only to meet with humiliation. After much abuse, the natives finally rebel against the governor who is lynched by the mob. Claudia is rescued by Harvey and the two face a happy future together.

Dir: Maurice Tourneur

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of The Wishing Ring: An Idyll of Old England perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

A hypnotic Svengali controls the singing voice of a young starlet, but he cannot control her heart.

Dir: Maurice Tourneur

In ancient Egypt a Princess is loved by a simple Shepherd, to the great displeasure of the King, who orders the offending lover be buried alive, for he had promised his daughter to the builder of the Temple. Breaking a double scarab in two, the shepherd and the Princess each keep a broken half and pledge that their souls will be reunited in death. Centuries later Capt. Harry Paget of the English garrison at the Sudan is enchanted by Grace Leslie, the daughter of Sir Hector Leslie, commander of the garrison. Mrs. Harvey, the wife of another officer, is also in love with the captain, and lures him to a meeting on the desert, causing him to miss a surprise drill. Grace, learning of the drill, rushes to inform Paget in time, thus interrupting the illicit meeting. Because of his disgrace, Paget volunteers for duty in a desert outpost and Grace, after learning the truth from Mrs. Harvey, falls into the captain's arms and announces that she will go to the desert with him, when it is discovered that each possesses a piece of the broken scarab.

Dir: Maurice Tourneur

Among the simple fisher-folk of a little island off the west coast of Scotland lives MacTavish, head of a clan. Here he rules as a chieftain, and his word is law. One day a hurricane sweeps across the Hebrides and the fishermen turn their boats to the inlet for shelter. On the shore the women and children watch the fight of their men with the waves. Among those who wait is Margaret MacTavish, who sees her father's boat dashed to pieces in the roaring surf. A party of men headed by Jamie Campbell tries to rescue the old chieftain but the waves close over him before they can reach the battling craft. With MacTavish lost, according to the law of the island the succession of authority passes to his daughter Marget, just 18. She, with a spirit of kindness and in a tender, sweet and girlish way, rules the fishermen and their families. Her disposition wins them. Jamie Campbell, a young fisherman, has won Marget's heart. Jamie has always been regarded as the son of Mrs. Campbell, one of the clan. The old lady, realizing that Jamie is reaching his 21st birthday, feels that she cannot keep her secret longer. So she writes to the Countess of Dunstable that the baby of her first marriage, which she left with the old woman of the island, did not die but grew to be a fine young man, and is now known as Jamie Campbell. The Countess, accompanied by her husband, starts out to seek her son. It is on the eve of Jamie's betrothal to Marget that, the Countess finds the young man and tells him of his real identity. She swears him to secrecy even from his own sweetheart. The Countess goes to watch the quaint betrothal ceremony of her son and Marget. Meeting him they are seen by those who do not know the relation to embrace and this fact is told to Marget. The disappearance of the Countess has aroused the suspicions of the Earl, and he, having learned of her secret meeting with, Jamie and not knowing the relation, confronts her. The wife breaks down and confesses that the young man is her son. There having been no children by the second marriage the Earl is delighted with the news and at once starts to plan for Jamie's future. The Earl, however, means that Jamie shall cut loose from all of his former associates. He persuades Marget to believe that she is an obstacle to Jamie's future and she reluctantly decides to make the sacrifice and give up her sweetheart. As chief of the clan, Marget commands him to leave. Jamie with heart torn asunder departs for his mother's yacht. Marget decides to sail out to somewhere in the west where her father and his father were wont to sail with the fishing boats. Before she cuts the ropes that hold the frail old hulk in which she lives to the island shore she sets ashore her pets and writes a note, places it on the strap collar of her favored little goat, and sends it abroad. Grouchy, gloomy Pitcairn, the village atheist who feared no one and hated himself, has always refused to obey the rulings of Marget. Pitcairn is in a troubled sleep the night Marget cuts loose in her unseaworthy craft, and in a wakeful moment he hears the bleating of the goat at his door. He is about to drive the animal away when he finds the note Marget has written. Looking seaward he sees the old craft tossing in the sea and he realizes what has happened. The village is aroused and the church bell set to ringing. Down to the surf line rush the people. Pitcairn sends a messenger to the yacht to get Jamie. Lowering a boat he rushes to the hulk and just as the waters are closing in on the cabin he rescues his sweetheart and the atheist falls to his knees and utters a prayer for the first time in his life. Jamie takes Marget back to the yacht, a reconciliation between the girl and the Earl follows and the dreams of the courtship begin all over again but they are real dreams because they have come true.