Sloth

Summary

Eve Leslie exists in a state of opalescent stagnation, her inherited wealth acting as a silken shroud against the exigencies of the world. When Adam Moore is summoned to the front lines, her resistance is born not of pacifism, but of a profound, ego-centric lethargy. It is only through a literary odyssey—a hallucinatory encounter with the ghosts of Sally Wells, Margaret Brent, and Molly Pitcher—that her spirit is galvanized. The film transitions from a domestic drama of apathy into a kinetic chronicle of redemption, as Eve trades her velvet divan for the visceral realities of a Red Cross nurse. This 1917 silent work serves as a fascinating triptych of historical hagiography, using the past to shame the present into action.

Synopsis

Eve Leslie is becoming indolent. The fortune she has inherited has made her unwilling to stir about any more than is necessary. Adam Moore, a member of the National Guard, is called out to help defend the country. Eve doesn't want him to go. She doesn't see any sense in his going to the front, especially since he will be away from her and will not be able to take part in a number of parties that have been arranged. Petulantly, she sits down to read. One after the other come before her the exciting stories of heroines of the past. Comes the story of Sally Wells who braved Indians and wild animals to preserve a claim for her family. Sally Wells is followed by Margaret Brent, whose home was captured by pirates, bold men who fought first against her, then for her. Next follows the thrilling tale of Molly Pitcher, in all the glory of the battle of Monmouth, in which she manned a cannon herself and turned the tide of battle against the British. Eve finishes reading. Inspired by the actions of these great women she conquers the sin of sloth, cheers Adam as he leaves with his regiment and follows him to the battlefield as a Red Cross nurse. There she is tested, as were the brave women she read about, and she proves as true as they had been.