Must-Watch List in the Vein of Whom the Gods Destroy: Cult Guide

Dir: J. Stuart Blackton

Orphan Mary Lord, the ward of Sir Arthur Stanhope of Parliament, is attracted to Philip Carmichael, a young politician, who ignores her and goes through a supposedly mock marriage at a wild party with actress Sheelah Delayne. Years later, Philip falls in love with Mary, now married to Sir Arthur, who dies from a stroke when he sees Philip and Mary together. Remorseful, they try to keep apart but eventually marry in France. Later, Sheelah confronts Philip with their son and proof that they are married. When Philip is arrested for bigamy, Mary testifies, to her humiliation, that she and Philip are not married, and then disappears. After her son dies, Sheelah goes to France as a canteen worker and finds Mary wandering in a daze. Feeling pity, Sheelah has her marriage annulled and sends for Philip. When Mary hears soldiers sing a song she used to sing to Philip, she recognizes Philip and they resume their marriage.

Dir: J. Stuart Blackton

A visual fragment from the archive: The thematic resonance of As You Like It perfectly mirrors the editorial trajectory of our deep dive.

After the overthrowing of Duke Senior by his tyrannical brother, Senior's daughter Rosalind disguises herself as a man and sets out to find her banished father while also counseling her clumsy suitor Orlando in the art of wooing.

Dir: J. Stuart Blackton

Helene Palmer and her husband Orrin have grown apart, and she becomes infatuated with bachelor Edward Wadsworth. With the outbreak of World War I, Orrin and Edward enlist, while Helene works as a Red Cross nurse in a small French town. Edward is wounded on a dangerous scouting mission near the town and Orrin carries him to safety. The enemy invades during the night, and Orrin rescues Helene as she is about to be overpowered by a German officer. The dying Edward, morally strengthened by his experience as a soldier, encourages the couple to reunite. Soon after, peace is declared.

Dir: J. Stuart Blackton

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

A young Englishman falls in love with the children's governess in his stepsister's home. His stepsister, however, cannot abide the class differential in the romance and sabotages it. The young man, in a state of boredom and depression, begins to invite into the house anyone who happens to pass by in the street.

Dir: J. Stuart Blackton

Enemy agents under the leadership of "Emanon" conspire with pacifists to keep the American defense appropriations down at a time when forces of the enemy are preparing to invade. The invasion comes, and New York, Washington, and other American cities are devastated.

Dir: J. Stuart Blackton

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

After her father and two brothers are killed, Cynthia and her mother go to New York, where Cynthia gets a job in his office working for a wealthy stockbroker who's attracted to her.

Dir: J. Stuart Blackton

Loved by two men, frivolous Jasmine Grenfel is unable to decide between the bold Rudyard Byng and the more reserved Ian Stafford. Swept away by Byng's forcefulness, Jasmine agrees to marry him and the rejected Stafford goes to South Africa. Three years elapse, and Jasmine's unhappiness increases as her husband slips into dissipation and she is pursued by his private secretary, Adrian Fellow, who is also having an affair with Al'Mah, an exotic dancer. When Byng finds a love note written by Fellow addressed to Jasmine, he threatens to kill both his wife and secretary, but Stafford returns in time to prevent the tragedy. Later, Fellow is murdered and Byng finds a poisoned needle near the body, but before the murderer can be found, the Boer War breaks out and Byng goes to fight for his country. In battle, Stafford is killed and Byng distinguishes himself in the field, recovering from his former dissipation. Al'Mah, now a nurse, is fatally wounded and confesses that she killed Fellow. Jasmine, touched by the crucible of war, finally realizes that she has been responsible for her own unhappiness and makes a true commitment to her husband.

Dir: J. Stuart Blackton

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

Dr. John Worthing sacrifices his personal life when he leaves his fiancée, Claire Eaton, to test his serum in a plague-ridden country far to the north. Claire, believing that her sweetheart has died in this faraway land, accepts the attentions of the unscrupulous Hugh Conway who is simultaneously courting Eva Cartier, a young nurse, who leaves him after discovering his true nature. Meanwhile, Worthing returns and, disillusioned by Claire's disloyalty, degenerates into an opium addict. Hospitalized after a brawl, Worthing is recognized by his old friend Elliot, who entrusts him to Eva, in whose care he is rehabilitated and with whom he falls in love. Discovering Eva's newfound happiness, Conway enlists Claire's aid in breaking up the happy couple, but his plans are thwarted when he drowns while carrying out his scheme.

Dir: J. Stuart Blackton

Keith, an artist, begins to go blind as a result of having fallen out of a tree as a child. His fiancé Dorothy, a wealthy heiress, had previously said that she thought blind people were "disgusting", and he refuses to see her. Dorothy plans to have her father, an eye surgeon, perform an operation on Keith that may help him regain his sight, but things don't go as planned.

Dir: J. Stuart Blackton

A feud has been raging between the Lee and Mitchell families, in the forbidden valley of the Kentucky hills. The lone survivors are Ben Lee, his granddaughter Morning Glory and a young Mitchell boy who is given refuge by minister Dominie Jones. Fifteen years pass and Jack Winslow, a surveyor, comes to the valley and falls in love with Morning Glory. Their romance is opposed by Dave, a young half-wit who also loves Morning Glory and, out of jealousy, makes several attempts on Jack's life. When Jack is suspected of being the last surviving Mitchell, Morning Glory, acting in accordance with her family code of honor, shoots and wounds him. Soon after, Jones reappears and explains that Dave is the real Mitchell heir, thus clearing the path for Jack and Morning Glory's reconciliation.