J'accuse 1919
The story of two men, one married, the other the lover of the other's wife, who meet in the trenches of the First World War, and how their tale becomes a microcosm for the horrors of war.
The story of two men, one married, the other the lover of the other's wife, who meet in the trenches of the First World War, and how their tale becomes a microcosm for the horrors of war.
The story of the life and passion of Jesus Christ, from the proclamation of his birth to his ascension into heaven.
La Glu tells the story of a woman, separated from her husband, and of evil reputation, who at a summer resort tries to capture the fortune of a wealthy aristocrat whose nephew had been in love with her, and is herself caught in the toils of her interest in a poor and primitive Breton lobster-fisherman. His simple soul discovering the past career and the heartlessness of the Parisian woman, in despair he tries to kill himself by throwing him-self on the rocks. When the Glu, the name given to the woman in question, tries to see the youth, his mother kills her with a mallet on the steps leading to the room of the invalid.
Silent film.
Short movie on Barcelona's "Citadel Park" produced by Segundo de Chomón for Pathé Frères. Directed and filmed by Segundo de Chomón.
For some, misfortune does not need the test of time. It is the case of three-year-old Marcelle Monfort who sees her mother die suddenly in a public garden while her ruined father is on his way to America. Taken in by Madame Jalin, a washerwoman, Marcelle grows up enduring the jealousy of Louise, Madame Jalin's daughter. Having had enough of the situation Marcelle leaves home and soon gets ill. Fortunately, she benefits for a time from Mademoiselle de Beaurenon's compassionate support. But her troubles are not over yet, for her benefactor dies and she is kicked out of home by the good lady's greedy relatives who think they are her heirs. Rose, the old domestic, takes care of Marcelle until, at long last, luck takes a turn for the better. Not only does her father come back from the USA but Madame de Beaurenon also leaves her all her assets.
This is a compact telling of the Cinderella fairy tale and the film is elaborately staged.
A young English lord, who has been excavating in Egypt, finds a mummy of a beautiful Egyptian princess, more than 5,000 years old. So well has the Egyptian embalmer done his work that the face is perfect in all its beauty, and the susceptible young man falls deeply in love with this belle of old Egypt, takes the mummy home to his estate in England and there it occupies his whole mind, to the exclusion of all else. Even the proposed visit of a beautiful American girl does not arouse his interest.
Like Max Ophüls, Capellani set many films in the theatre – backstage, on stage, in the public eye; Here is a rags-to-riches story of a dancer and her older benefactor, a kind-hearted piano tutor.
In a snowy Alpine district Max takes his first lessons in the art of skiing. He leaves the hotel with his skis fixed to his shoes, and his efforts and contortions to get through the door of his room are absurdly ludicrous. Finally he manages to get out and we see him making frantic efforts to maintain his equilibrium on the fairly gentle slope.
Everyman Coupeau's attempts to stop drinking are routinely thwarted by the wicked and vengeful Virginie. Based on Zola's novel, Capellani's film is about the free fall of a group of working-class French folk into degradation and tragedy due to carelessness, jealousy, and alcohol abuse. At the time of its release, L'Assommoir was hugely successful.
A trick film using the reverse effect.
Dr Faust is continually obsessed with his quest for knowledge and absolute pleasure. One day, the demon Mephistopheles appears to him in his study in human guise and offers him a deal: a lifetime of total pleasure in exchange for the life of his fiancée Margaret. Faust accepts but is soon forced to realise the impossibility of crossing the boundaries of knowledge and the limits imposed by God.
An enthusiastic young couple is astounded with modern technology's giant leaps in the fascinating field of electricity.
Max and Mick, two brothers, have prepared for a merry spree and are actually stepping into their cab when it occurs to them they are penniless. Lots are drawn to see who shall beard stern father and make the necessary touch. The choice falls on Max who is far from successful in his mission, and he communicates the bad news to his brother Mick, who after thinking announces that he has an idea.
In Le cheveu délateur, a magician discovers the real identity of another character by the movement of a single hair, that, once animated, gives life to a story.
A group of travellers go into a house for protection. Little do they know, it is filled with ghosts who make unusual things happen to them.
Pathé's version of José Zorrilla's play, Don Juan Tenorio.
A noble Roman, bored with his life, sees a slave dance and they fall in love. Before they can consummate their passion, his wife has the slave killed and he drinks the same poison as she.