Film vs Film
Select two cult films to compare side by side.
The Dormant Power Synopsis
Christine Brent, living with her father in a small Texas town, is wooed by Maurice Maxwell, an unscrupulous New York businessman. Christine rejects Maxwell's advances, befriending instead Carl Randolph, a young man who seeks refuge in her cabin after shooting a Mexican for insulting the American flag. Christine gives Carl money and advises him to go East, which he does. Left helpless after her father is injured in a crippling accident, Christine agrees to marry Maxwell so that her father can live in comfort. Brent, however, demoralized, kills himself and soon after, Maxwell and Christine move to New York. Stung by her husband's constant abuse, Christine learns to hate Maxwell, and when Maxwell hires Carl, now a successful attorney, as his counsel, Christine feels her old love rekindled. Unscrupulous as ever, Maxwell robs the inventor Brinkeroff of a valuable patent, and then murders him. Brinkeroff's wife Metta, suspecting Maxwell of her husband's murder, secures a job in the Maxwell home to obtain evidence against him. Her prudence is rewarded when she overhears Maxwell admit to the crime, and outraged, she kills him but is acquitted by a sympathetic jury. All obstacles now cleared from their path, Christine and Carl begin a new life together.
The Men She Married Synopsis
Ralph Semple already has a wife, but marries rich Beatrice Raymond, and then deserts her after cheating her out of $10,000. Later, when Beatrice hears that Ralph has died, she marries Jerry Trainer, a widower, but keeps her past a secret. Ralph, who started the rumors of his own death, then returns to blackmail Beatrice, who is determined to keep Jerry from finding out about her first marriage. Meanwhile, Ralph makes plans to elope with Jerry's daughter Edith, but when Beatrice learns of the impending wedding, she decides to stop it, and so goes to see Ralph in his apartment. Jerry walks in on them, however, and assuming that they are secret lovers, he throws Ralph out and denounces Beatrice. When Edith arrives at Ralph's, however, Jerry realizes that his wife was only trying to save his daughter, and so he and Beatrice are reconciled immediately.
"The Dormant Power" holds a slight edge in general audience appreciation, but "The Men She Married" offers its own unique cult appeal.
Suggested Watch:
The Dormant Power