The Desperate Hero(1920)

The Spirit of the Poppy(en)

A psychological study of the effects of drug addiction on humanity. Helene Ford has been injected with heroin by an unscrupulous physician, causing her to act irrationally. Her husband Stephen, a noted artist, hires a model whom Helene, inflamed by their friend Jack Murray, suspects of having an affair with Stephen. The model is also addicted to drugs and convinces Stephen to try heroin to forget his troubles. Both Stephen and Helene then become addicted to drugs. They abandon their home and then separate, after which Stephen resorts to crime to support his heroin addiction. During an escape from the police after a robbery, Stephen encounters Helene again, this time near death. She sacrifices her own life to shield her husband, but Stephen and his former model plunge to their deaths.

The Exalted Flapper(en)

Princess Cecelie of Capra, a small Alpine nation, visits the U.S. with her mother, Queen Charlotte, and becomes enamored with Jazz Age culture. The princess refuses an arranged marriage with Prince Boris of Dacia, unaware that they have already fallen in love during a chance meeting.

Sea of Vanity(ja)

A film adaptation (funded by Ken Togo) based on an expose book by a person involved in the Japanese entertainment industry of the time. The book describes among other things the drug-fueled parties, orgies of the entertainment business and what some celebrities like Johnny Kitagawa among others were allegedly up to in their free time. Basically giving an open-book about the secrets of the entertainment-world. The film adapts and portrays some of the shocking scenes of this book, focussing more on the gay-aspect of the expose.

Paid in Full(en)

Joe Brooks is taken advantage of by his employer, Captain Williams, who is a jealous former suitor of Joe's wife, Emma. Williams puts Joe in charge of the company's payroll money and has detectives set a trap for him.

Resurrection of a Corpse(ja)

One of the two earliest horror films ever made. This film is presumed lost. In this black comedy scene, the bottom falls out of a coffin, the corpse tumble out, and is jolted back to life. Short sequences like this, as well as street scenes and dancing geisha girls were the main subjects of early Nippon cinema, pioneered by Shiro Asano and Shibata Tsunekichi from 1897 onwards. In creating dramatic, scenes, film-makers naturally chose the most striking or bizarre. Another undocumented film, recalled by cameraman Shiro Asano.

The Bartered Bride(cs)

Directed by Max Urban.

Too Many Crooks(en)

A man tries to burgle his own safe on the same night that a professional criminal attempts it.

Such Is the Law(en)

British drama centered on a mother's desperate attempts to save her daughter's failing marriage as the film explores family loyalty, domestic conflict, and the social pressures surrounding divorce during the early 1930s.

Shadows of the Past(en)

Mark Stetson, a scheming politician, entangles the Brandons, husband and wife, and their friend, Antoinette, in his smuggling schemes and engineers their arrest, to protect himself. Edited into Shadows of the Past (1919).

The Painted World(en)

Raised to believe that her mother Elois, is dead, 18-year-old Yvette Muree is aghast to learn that mom is a burlesque queen.

The Soul Master(en)

Deserted by his wife Arline, who absconds with their baby daughter Ruth as well, Robert Travers loses all faith in women. Years later, Travers, now known as the man without a soul, is the owner of a chain of department stores in which young Ruth Carroll is employed as a ribbon clerk. Finding himself strangely attracted to the girl, he takes a fatherly interest in her and offers Ruth a position in his office. Laura Wilson, who wants Travers for herself becomes jealous and tries to lure the girl away but Travers comes to realize she is his own daughter.

A Million Bid(en)

Agnes Belgradin is in love with a young doctor, Loring Brent. When Agnes' father dies, her mother takes her on a trip abroad. She insists that the young couple separate before they set sail, and promises that if they still love each other after a year they can reunite. But Mrs. Belgradin intercepts all the letters Agnes and Brent write one another, and convinces her daughter to marry a wealthy Australian millionaire.

Petersburg Slums(ru)

Five-episode adaptation of the eponymous Russian novel, directed by Pyotr Chardynin et al.

A Woman's Business(en)

Always Audacious(en)

Reckless heir of an influential San Francisco family, Perry Danton must prove his worth by taking a job with the family lawyer before he is entrusted with the Danton fortune.

Das Recht der freien Liebe(de)

Ewiger Strom(de)

An abandoned baby is saved by a river god. Now aged 20, she yearns to see the world outside the water.

Life's Yesterdays(en)

Dalton, a promising young doctor, becomes infatuated with a dancer named La Stella who introduces him to drugs, and he becomes a morphine addict. His addiction leads to the death of a child due to a fatal medical error while he is under the influence, ultimately ruining his career.

The Autocrat of Flapjack Junction(en)

The story centers on Flapjack Ike (played by John Bunny), a dominant local figure or "autocrat" in the titular town. Ike faces off against Edith, the Widow (played by Flora Finch), who challenges his authority.

Sisters All(en)

Garment manufacturer Sergius cuts his workers' wages, prompting a protest led by two Russian sisters, Olga and Vera. Sergius's affluent daughters, Hattie and Helen, decide to support the workers' cause, moving into the sisters' tenement and joining the workforce, much to their father's dismay. In a dramatic turn, the daughters bring their work to the factory and confront Sergius. They make a final appeal to him in his office, where he eventually relents and agrees to meet the workers' demands. Following this victory, Hattie and Helen decide to return home to their father, and the good news is shared with all the factory girls, ending the story on a note of general rejoicing.