Film vs Film
Select two cult films to compare side by side.
The Naulahka Synopsis
Trying to win the Three C's railroad line for his home town of Topaz, Colorado, Nicholas "Nick" Tarvin journeys to India to secure the famed jewel known as the Naulahka, which he plans to present to Mrs. Mutrie, the railroad president's wife. Nick's fiancée, Kate Sheriff, having graduated from medical school, also goes to India, but her aim is to provide the Indians with modern medical care. The Naulahka is possessed by the Maharajah, whose second wife, a dancer named Sitahbai, hopes to have her son, rather than the real prince, named as the heir to the Maharajah's throne. Sitahbai plans to kill the young prince, the son of the Maharajah's first wife, but Nick repeatedly saves him. After Sitahbai's plot to kill Nick fails, Nick threatens to hold the dancer captive until daybreak unless she gives him the Naulahka. Sitahbai reluctantly consents, but Kate, knowing that the loss of the jewel will mean Sitahbai's death, convinces Nick to return it to her. Kate and Nick return to Colorado without the Naulahka to find that the railroad tracks have already been laid through Topaz.
At Bay Synopsis
District Attorney Graham starts a crusade against the city's gambling houses. Judson Flagg, a lawyer, owns a notorious joint and knows that nothing can stop Graham once he gets his hand in. He then enters the fight armed with every weapon an unscrupulous man can employ. Through Mrs. Cuyler Hastings, a society woman who owes him a gambling debt, Flagg introduces Joe Hunter, his aide, to Aline Graham, daughter of the District Attorney. Hunter, polished, dashing and handsome, is seemingly devoted to Aline, and manages to marry her secretly. Later, in a raid on Flagg's place, Hunter shoots Graham and runs to Aline with the plea that unless she gives him money he will divulge the whole affair, saying that the marriage was a fake to aid some political enemies of her father. He leaves with her necklace, but she writes to him at Flagg's office begging him not to desert her. The gambler gets the letter and arranges an interview before a cunningly concealed camera, with the hope of getting her in a compromising position. How she is finally rescued and her fair name saved makes a charming ending to this drama.
"The Naulahka" holds a slight edge in general audience appreciation, but "At Bay" offers its own unique cult appeal.
Suggested Watch:
The Naulahka