Editor's Top Picks Sharing the Atmosphere of The Unwelcome Mother: ...

Dir: James Vincent

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: James Vincent

After the murder of Mrs. Haynes, resident of the old Armory homestead, there is an ever increasing intensity of the struggle for possession of the Amory code, in which lies the secret of the Amory fortune.

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

Dir: James Vincent

Hoping to have Helen Sterling for himself, unscrupulous stockbroker George Howard, with the help of Rita Lawson, makes up a story of having an affair with her and convinces her husband Robert to believe it, thereby prompting him to file for divorce. (Rita's motivation is that she is Robert's former sweetheart and wants to get revenge on him for throwing her over for Helen.) After the court grants Robert the divorce and custody of their little girl, George is still unable to make Helen love him, so he kidnaps her daughter and informs Helen that he will give her back only if she consents to sleep with him. Helen agrees to give in, but then, after her daughter is returned, she finds a revolver in George's apartment and, during a struggle, shoots him. With all the evidence pointing to suicide, Helen is cleared of a murder charge. She tells the real story of her trauma only to Robert, who then realizes the mistake he made in divorcing her. As a result, he asks her to marry him once again, and Helen accepts his proposal.

Dir: James Vincent

Twin sisters Anne and Katherine are separated as children when their parents decide to go their separate ways. Under her mother's influence, Anne develops into a respectable young woman, while Katherine, under her father's tutelage, becomes a callous adventuress. Anne falls in love with Dunsmore, a gubernatorial candidate running as a child labor reformer, while Katherine allies herself with his opponent, Huxley, a corrupt manufacturer. After losing the race, Huxley decides to eliminate his rival permanently. Using Katherine to lure Dunsmore to his apartment, Huxley enters and draws a gun on his rival. As he aims, Katherine pulls a gun and kills Huxley. Dunsmore, mistaking her for Anne, lets Katherine escape and is arrested for murder. At the trial, Dunsmore withholds the name of the mysterious woman, and Anne gives herself up as the murderess. Katherine, driven half mad by visions of Huxley, finally confesses all. Upon seeing the resemblance between the two sisters, Dunsmore realizes that Anne was offering her life for his and rushes to embrace her. They leave the courtroom together as Katherine is led to a cell.

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

Dir: James Vincent

Roma Winnet, the author of Jealousy, loves and marries Bob Lawson, but worries that her own difficulties with that emotion will destroy their relationship. When Dave Blake enlists in the secret service, he entrusts Ethel Clarke, his girlfriend and Roma's best friend, to Bob's care, an arrangement that immediately causes Roma to fret. While on furlough, Dave goes to see Ethel at Bob's home, but the visit is cut short when Bob suspects that Dave is being followed by spies. The sight of Bob and Ethel together rouses Roma's jealousy, a state exacerbated by secret rendezvouses between Ethel, Bob and Dave. Convinced that her husband is having an affair, Roma threatens him with divorce. That night, Bob receives a frantic note, supposedly from Dave, but when he arrives at Dave's hide-out, he discovers that the note was a set-up. After a fierce battle with the spies, Dave and Bob escape unharmed. Once misunderstandings are cleared up, the wrath of love is quelled and Roma reunites with Bob.

Dir: James Vincent

The daughter of a Mexican aristocrat endures the travails of the Mexican revolution.

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

Dir: James Vincent

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: James Vincent

A novelist blackmails his now married ex-girlfriend into having an affair with him.

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

Dir: James Vincent

Princess Sylvia refuses to marry the Emperor Maximilian of Rhaetia because his proposal has been offered for diplomatic rather than romantic reasons. Learning that Maximilian is traveling to a hunting lodge in a small village, Sylvia follows him, disguised as an untitled English girl, and the emperor immediately falls in love with her. Later, when she saves his life from an assassin at the palace, Maximilian offers to marry her. This disturbs the Prime Minister, who becomes alarmed at the thought of his emperor marrying a commoner, and he sends for Sylvia's brother, who agrees to unmask the supposed adventuress. The unmasking only reveals the Princess Sylvia, however, who then accepts Maximilian's proposal because it is offered from his heart.

Dir: James Vincent

Mary, the daughter of Tom Boland, a cracksman, who is in love with his pal, Dave Karns, decides to give up her old life because she does not want her brother, Jimmie, to submit to the criminal influence surrounding him. After leaving the house, she wanders in the park. Here she meets Mrs. Wentworth, a woman of wealth and refinement, and the two become friends. Mrs. Wentworth finally engages her as a maid. Tom Boland and Dave learn of the girl's luck in obtaining a fine position in Mrs. Wentworth's household, and try to secure her aid in robbing the home of her employer. She refuses, but they carry out their plans alone, and Tom is shot. An investigation of the affair is made by the police. Mary is followed from one place to another when Mrs. Wentworth discharges her. After many weeks of hardship, she is reunited with Dave, who was reformed.