Editor's Top Picks Following the Footsteps of Vent debout: Cult Guide

Dir: René Leprince

A ten-year-old boy takes in a baby whose father has been killed and whose mother has gone mad. But his parents entrust him to charitable market gardeners, who raise him. Fifteen years later, he goes to see his adopted "son" and finds himself in the presence of a beautiful young girl.

Dir: René Leprince

Charlotte Brenner, bien que fiancée au fermier Pascal, tombe amoureuse du sculpteur Jean, sans savoir que ce dernier a accidentellement tué son frère.

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

Dir: René Leprince

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: René Leprince

Maxime, denied financial aid, plots to kill his father-in-law for his debts, and then resorts to scamming the vulnerable.

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

Dir: René Leprince

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: René Leprince

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of La fièvre de l'or perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

Dir: René Leprince

Jean Clédat, a young sculptor, has fallen in love with Gabrielle Normand, a painter. Jean's father, who expected him to perform his art in his native town, is surprised not to see him come back after his studies at the Fine Arts Academy, all the more as Marie-Claire, his kind-hearted fiancée, is waiting for him at home. Suspecting a love affair, Clédat Senior comes to visit Jean out of the blue. Not only are his suspicions confirmed but they are even reinforced when he catches sight of a doll in his son's studio. After telling Gabrielle that he will provide maintenance for the "child", he forces his son son to go back home. The only thing is that he is making a mistake : there IS a four-year-old girl, but she is Gabrielle's little sister, not her daughter...

Dir: René Leprince

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

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

Dir: René Leprince

A fascinating piece of cinema that shares thematic elements.

Dir: René Leprince

An earlier version of the 18th century swashbuckling story later made as a vehicle for Gerard Philipe, this one is in serial format.