Barriers Burned Away(1925)

Shall We Forgive Her?(en)

When Grace Raymond follows Neil Garth, her hard-drinking fiancé, West, she finds him living in a squalid desert cabin. Forced to choose between being raped by outlaws or giving in to Neil's sexual demands, Grace moves in with her fiancé. A year later, Grace rescues James Stapleton, a gold miner, from a desert death and helps him to escape from Neil's greedy clutches. Before Neil can punish her, she knocks him out and flees to New York, where she meets and then marries Oliver West, a jeweler with failing vision. To help with his medical bills, Grace sells a short story, but Neil shows up and threatens to expose her past unless she gives him her earnings. Eventually, Oliver finds out about Grace and Neil and goes blind from the shock. Determined to win Oliver back, Grace enlists the help of Stapleton, now a rich broker, to thwart Neil and secure a sight-restoring operation for Oliver. When Oliver hears Neil's confession of Grace's difficult past, he finally forgives her.

The Woman He Loved(en)

Russian Jews Nathan & Esther Levinsky, along with son, David, escape to the U.S. Nathan’s life as a peddler is hard, and Esther leaves him for Max Levy allowing David to be adopted by the wealthy Danvers family. In time Nathan prospers on a small California ranch, which abuts the larger ranch of the bigoted John Comstock. When Comstock’s daughter Helen, falls in love with the Danvers' adopted son, Jimmy, who Nathan secretly recognizes as David. Fire destroys his farm and Nathan goes to San Francisco to begin again with the contrite Esther. Jimmy follows after learning the truth to search for Nathan with Helen and Comstock in pursuit. Nathan saves Helen from the lecherous Max Levy and Comstock gives his blessing to Helen and Jimmy’s marriage.

Unconquered Woman(en)

Helen offers herself in marriage to the winner of a poker game in order to obtain money to replace what her brother has stolen. Antonio, a half-breed, is the winner, but Helen is saved from fulfilling her bet by Bruce Devereux when he doubles the stakes and wins the girl. She marries Bruce but leaves for New York when she finds the marriage to be a fake one. There she marries her previous music teacher, but he proves to be faithless, leaving her with a small son. Bruce returns and assures her he had not arranged for a fake marriage. Her present husband, not able to cope with the pressures of his many affairs, kills himself, leaving Helen free to remarry Bruce.

Shadows of the Sea(en)

An idealistic sea captain, Dick Carson (Conway Tearle), is wounded by revenue officers while smuggling arms to a South American country. He finds aid and refuge at the home of Dr. Jordan (J. Barney Sherry) whose young wife, Dorothy (Doris Kenyon), is being courted by Andrews (Crauford Kent), who kills the doctor in a quarrel. To avoid the revenue officers, Carson takes them aboard his ship and sets sail for the Far East. He and Dorothy fall in love but, first, he must deal with a mutiny on his ship.

Ignorance(en)

Silent crime drama about the dangers of the title situation.

The Queen's Husband(en)

The hapless king of a small European nation must put up with a domineering queen, a daughter who wants to elope with her boyfriend, a peasant revolt and a scheming son who wants to be king himself and is plotting to take advantage of the situation.

Esmeralda(en)

Silent adaptation of the Victor Hugo classic focusing on the character of Esmeralda rather than Quasimodo.

The Marriage Whirl(en)

Marian marries Arthur, a party-loving man, hoping to reform him, but he becomes restless and starts an affair with a dancer, leading Marian to seek comfort in her old friend Tom.

Minnie(en)

Minnie, the homeliest girl in town, is devoted to her father, a discouraged inventor who has been working on a wireless device. Subject to the sneers of her neighbors, Minnie "invents" a lover and sends herself letters and flowers. Her stepsister suspects the truth and threatens to expose her. Desperate, she claims an unidentified body at the morgue and tells a reporter that this is her lover, unaware that the body is that of a Chinese man. The absent-minded reporter sees her heart and forgets about the big story. After further disappointments in the invention, Minnie's stepmother decides to leave her father. Her father then has a success and becomes rich. At a celebration, the stepsister and townspeople are surprised when a new couple appear, which turn out to be the former reporter and his lovely wife Minnie.

The Girl from Nowhere(en)

Headstrong Mavis Cole defying her grandfather runs away with the wealthy but caddish Herbert Whitman. Proving he’s no good Herbert plants a stolen necklace on Mavis and attempts to have her arrested when he comes under suspicion, so Mavis flees to a hunting lodge then entering into a marriage of convenience with Jimmy Ryder to hide her identity. Meanwhile, Herbert bribes ex-convict Steve La Marche to steal a jewel from Dorothy Grosscup but Jimmy captures the thief, though he claims innocence. Dorothy accuses Mavis of the theft, but she is cleared by Steve, resulting in Herbert's arrest.

Kiss or Kill(en)

Henry Warner (Herbert Rawlinson) is so broke that he has sold his overcoat and now his landlady won't leave him alone about the rent. When he sees a wallet sticking out of a rich man's pocket, he's desperate enough to steal it. The police give pursuit, and Henry winds up in someone's study. The man who lives there, Middleton (Alfred Allen) has been looking for someone with Henry's nerve and offers him a job (along with an overcoat and some cash): He must steal back a will that Middleton's nephew, Craig (Harry Carter) stole from him.

Little Women(en)

Four sisters come of age in America in the aftermath of the Civil War.

The Offenders(en)

Girl is held at mercy of gang of crooks, her only friend being a half-wit. A murder is committed and blame shifted to the girl. The half-wit has seen it but cannot remember. When he is cured, his testimony frees the girl.

The Golden Shower(en)

A rich libertine leaves all his money to a college girl who had refused his advances. The ensuing scandal makes her retire to a small town, where she meets the dead man's son.

One Year to Live(en)

Young Elsie Duchanier, maid of the star dancer in the French Brunel's Follies, is deceived by a lascivious doctor into believing she has only one year to leave in his effort to seduce her. Separated from her true love American soldier Capt. Tom Kendrick when he is reassigned to the United States, she accepts Maurice Brunel's offer to make her the main attraction of his new Follies. She meets with enormous success, but Brunel demands she submit to his advances as the price he demands for making her a star which she refuses. Tom returns to France just in time to save her virtue and whisk her away.

Así te deseo(es)

A woman takes the place of a wife who had died seven years earlier.

The Keys to Happiness(ru)

Directed by Vladimir Gardin and Yakov Protazanov, this two-part epic was the most expensive Russian film at the time and smashed box office records. It is now considered lost, with only a 4 minute clip surviving.

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.

Henry VIII(en)

Early silent movie adaptation of Shakespeare's play, focused on key moments: the arrest of the Duke of Buckingham, Henry's infatuation with Anne Boleyn at a banquet, the Trial of Queen Katharine, Cardinal Wolsey's downfall, and Anne's coronation.