Film vs Film
Select two cult films to compare side by side.
Playthings of Desire Synopsis
After rich playboy and philanderer James Malvern marries successful stage actress Gloria Dawn, the newlywed couple entrain for Malverncroft, the family lodge in the Canadian wilderness, where they spend their honeymoon. When Gloria's boat is caught in the swift current above a steep waterfall, she is rescued from certain death by Pierre du Charme, a guide and also caretaker of the Malvern estate. Gloria soon discovers that Malvern is unfaithful to her, and she allows herself to fall in love with Pierre. When Malvern is found murdered, Pierre, who has followed the Malverns to New York, is charged with the crime. After a sensational trial, the innocent guide is sentenced to death, but he is saved from the electric chair when Gloria discovers the real culprit: Wheeler Johnson, a theatrical agent who had a grudge against Malvern. Pierre and Gloria make plans to be married and return together to the Canadian woods.
The Spell of the Yukon Synopsis
Having forced Jim Carson to leave town in order to avoid a trumped-up embezzling charge, now Albert Temple is rid of his only serious rival for Helen, whom he soon marries. Jim goes to Alaska, where he adopts Bob Adams, the son of a murdered friend, and then makes a fortune in a gold strike. After eighteen years in the Yukon, Jim returns to his hometown with Bob, who falls in love with Helen and Albert's daughter Dorothy. Because he so hates Albert, however, Jim refuses to consent to a marriage between Bob and Dorothy until Helen tells him that Albert is not the young woman's father. In reality, Dorothy is Jim's own daughter, and when he learns this, Jim quickly changes his mind about the marriage.
"Playthings of Desire" holds a slight edge in general audience appreciation, but "The Spell of the Yukon" offers its own unique cult appeal.
Suggested Watch:
Playthings of Desire