The Auteur's Selection Complementing the Tone of The Tong Man: Cult Guide

Dir: William Worthington

Jeffrey Wall, the dissipated grandson of a wealthy man, requests that a farewell party be given in his honor before he is disinherited. During the wild banquet, a Mexican dancer assaults Mary Drew and then shoots a man, but suspicion is cast on Jeffrey. At the death of her father, Mary is called home to her little village on the Mexican border but is followed by the lecherous dancer, who soon becomes the head of a gang of bandits. Jeffrey traces him and learns that the outlaws have taken control of a small rancho, shot its owner and kidnapped Mary. Jeffrey visits the rancho disguised as a ghost, and as the outlaws are fleeing in terror, the sheriff and his men arrive and arrest them all. Wall, Sr., pleased with the improvements in his son's character, comes West to bless the marriage of Jeffrey and Mary.

Dir: William Worthington

A young man trades places with a lookalike boxer and learns to fight for what he wants.

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

Dir: William Worthington

A wild man and genius becomes a master painter's disciple, but loses his divine gift when he finds love.

Dir: William Worthington

When Sasamoto commits treason during the Great War to pay off gambling debts, his twin brother Yamashito assumes his identity and tracks him down.

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

Dir: William Worthington

Toyama's wife Sada secretly earns money as a Geisha girl to finance his studies in America, but she says that the money comes from her deceased grandfather. In America, Toyama becomes an assistant to Dr. Stone, studying cures for inherited vices. When Toyama learns that Sada has been sentenced to death for murdering a prominent banker who attacked her, Toyama disappears and gives in to his hereditary tendency to drink until Dr. Stone cures him. Unknown to Toyama, Sada's sentence is commuted to life imprisonment when she gives birth to their daughter. Meanwhile, Toyama marries Stone's half-Japanese daughter Emily to fulfill Stone's dying request. In Japan, after Toyama lectures women prisoners and recognizes Sada, he discovers that the child he and Emily adopted is really his own daughter. When Sada escapes and finds Toyama, he decides to commit harakiri, but as the prison guards approach, Sada drowns herself to save him.

Dir: William Worthington

Yano Masata, a struggling Japanese artist living in a mountainous area in America, refuses to tint counterfeit bonds for wealthy John Furthman. Yano's sister, O Haru San, comes from Japan to look for her husband who deserted her, and finds Yano with aid from a woman in the Japanese mission. When she recognizes Furthman as her husband, Furthman and Yano fight until Furthman's gun goes off, killing O Haru San, and Yano throws Furthman off a cliff. Later, Yano thanks the woman in the mission, they develop a friendship, and he agrees to paint her husband's portrait from a photograph. The husband is Furthman and his wife thinks that his fall was an accident. After Yano paints the portrait, he destroys it in a moment of wrath and confesses the killing to Mrs. Furthman's financial adviser. Later, Yano burns the evidence of Furthman's crimes so that Mrs. Furthman and her son will remain unaware of Furthman's treachery and not be disgraced. The police then arrest Yano.

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

Dir: William Worthington

Wanting her sweetheart, Judd Minot, a Maine fisherman, to develop his sculpting talents, Mary Garland encourages him to accompany art connoisseur Henry Bliss to New York City. Once there, Judd forgets Mary and becomes smitten with Bliss's attractive daughter Myrna. Although he wins fame as an artist, the party society life he leads with Myrna causes his work to suffer. When Mary learns of Judd's stagnation and fast style of living, she rushes to New York to rescue him. When he sees her, Judd realizes that Mary is the prime inspiration for all his statues and renews his love for her.

Dir: William Worthington

Japanese-American law student Suki Iota falls in love with his guardian's niece Rei Oaki, who has just arrived from Japan to cultivate her singing voice. After Suki goes East to law school, Rei, thinking Suki wants an American girl, gets Tom Kirby, the son of the Chinatown boss, to teach her American ways of dress and behavior. On his return, Suki is displeased with Rei's change and believes her to be Tom's girl when he sees them celebrating the Chinese New Year. Suki is appointed assistant district attorney and, with the whole city watching because of anonymous death threats sent to him, he steadfastly prosecutes a murder case until Tom confesses to him. To protect Rei, Suki removes himself from the case. Labeled a coward and a traitor to justice, Suki remains silent until Tom publicly confesses. Now regarded as a hero, Suki defends Tom. Rei confesses she never loved Tom, and her romance with Suki begins anew.

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

Dir: William Worthington

Monty Gray returns to the US after spending 10 years building railroads in China. As he enters a hotel he runs into an old friend from college whom he hasn't seen in years, and they begin catching up on old times. Monty notices a picture of a young woman that his friend is carrying and, bowled over by her beauty, he instantly falls for her. However, his friend tells him that he doesn't have a chance in a million of meeting the girl, who happens to be his cousin, because her mother rules the girl's life with an iron fist and is determined that she will marry royalty and not some untitled commoner. Monty is determined to have the girl, and devises a plan to win her.

Dir: William Worthington

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.