Film vs Film
Select two cult films to compare side by side.
The Web of Deceit Synopsis
Wanda Hubbard lives a life of crime in the city while her mother and sister Lucille lead a peaceful life in a small country town. One day, while robbing the safe of Major Andrew Clark, Wanda and her partner Red Smith are apprehended, but both manage to escape. Wanda flees to her mother's house and Red follows her, later departing for Arizona but pledging to marry Wanda upon his return. Meanwhile, Mrs. Hubbard dies as a result of a fall, confessing on her deathbed to Wanda that Lucille is really the daughter of her brother-in-law, wealthy Major Clark. After the funeral, Wanda determines to substitute herself as Clark's daughter and goes to New York where she is accepted by Clark and his protégé Roger Burney, with whom she falls in love. Later, Lucille comes to New York and wins Roger's love, making Wanda insanely jealous and driving her to destroy the portrait of Clark's dead wife lest her deception be discovered. With Red's reappearance, Wanda's web of deceit begins to untangle when he threatens to expose her. The two struggle, Wanda is killed and the wounded Red confesses the truth about Lucille's parents. Clark welcomes his daughter and Lucille wins both a father and a sweetheart.
Destiny: or, the Soul of a Woman Synopsis
Standish, an artist, finishes a painting of the Madonna. His wife, Mary, acted as model, and when the Connoisseur and the Parishioner inspect the picture, the former tells Standish that he recognizes in the model a one-time paramour of his. The Connoisseur and the Parishioner buy the painting and after their departure Standish upbraids his wife, who tells him that she believed herself legally married to the Connoisseur. Standish refuses to accept her explanation and ejects her and their baby son. Mary leaves her boy on the steps of a monastery, and seventeen years later, just before becoming a monk, he receives permission to see the world. He wanders into a gay café and succumbs to the charms of Beauty. The other inmates of the place, Lust, Rum, Avarice and Passion are dancing around him when the proprietor enters. It is Mary, his mother. She recognizes him from the crucifix which he wears and which she left with him when he was a baby. Without revealing her identity she persuades him to go back and later when he has become a priest, a bedraggled old woman (his mother) enters his church. She recognizes him and just before she dies her son gives her absolution.
"The Web of Deceit" holds a slight edge in general audience appreciation, but "Destiny: or, the Soul of a Woman" offers its own unique cult appeal.
Suggested Watch:
The Web of Deceit