All Films

The Great Circus Catastrophe

1912 • 45 min • Denmark

Of the films that Psilander made at Nordisk during the first two years it is the film Dødsspring til Hest fra Cirkuskuplen (The Great Circus Catastrophe), that is worth noting. Maybe not so much for Psilander's acting, but for the sensational, action-packed storylines that he was in. This film shows the other side of Psilander's fame: his daring. He was an excellent rider and looked fantastic in long riding boots and elegant riding jackets and this skill was exploited in his films.

The Little Railroad Queen

1912 • 40 min • Denmark

A frivolous count disposes of his unwanted, newborn child in a first-class train compartment bound for Moscow. The train staff takes care of little Eva, but decide to send her to an orphanage so that she can have a formal education. At 18 years old, Eva must find a guardian before she’s thrown out onto the street. In a wicked twist of fate, Eva’s father, Count Iwan, seems unwittingly interested in the young beauty. Hopefully they realise their familiarly resemblances before it’s too late. (Stumfilm.dk)

Anna Karenina

1912 • 10 min • France

In Imperial Russia, Anna, wife of the officer Karenin, goes to Moscow to visit her brother. On the way, she meets charming cavalry officer Vronsky, to whom she's immediately attracted. But in St. Petersburg’s high society, a relationship like this could destroy a woman’s reputation.

The Strike

1912 • 8 min • United States of America

At a large factory, the workers decide to strike. Although the leader of the workers believes his boss is treating them unfairly, the strike movement spirals out of control.

The Mender of Nets

1912 • 14 min • United States of America

A young woman who works mending fishermen's nets is engaged to be married. But her fiancé has an old love who refuses to let him go. Further, his former girlfriend has a brother who is willing to use violence to protect his sister's honor.

The Loyalty of Sylvia

1912 • 14 min • United States of America

The daughter of an old friend is staying with Dr. Laurence. Sylvia is a naughty girl; she puts sneezing powder into a bunch of flowers to make everyone in the house sneeze. After the doctor introduces her to the son of a friend, the two fall in love and get engaged. Dr. Laurence is also hopelessly in love with Sylvia, but keeps it a secret. After a ball he gets smallpox. Sylvia takes care of him and falls in love with him. She breaks off the engagement.

The Mask of Horror

1912 • 12 min • France

A mad sculptor, searching for the perfect realization of "the mask of horror", places himself in front of a mirror after smearing blood over himself with the glass of an oil lamp. He then swallows a virulent poison to observe the effects of pain.

The Tomboy on Bar Z

1912 • 15 min • United States of America

A romantic Western in which John saves his beloved Mary when she is about to marry a criminal.

So Near, Yet So Far

1912 • 15 min • United States of America

It's love at first sight for the Boy, but obstacles— namely shyness, and the temerity of other suitors— place themselves in the way of his love. Unknowingly, the Boy and the young woman of his fancy both stay at the home of mutual friends— But all is not well, as robbers lurk outside the house.

A Detective's Strategy

1912 • 11 min • United States of America

This picture tells the very human story, or romance, of an unloved wife and mother, who, although possessing wealth and social position, craved the love of her husband.

Three Tales of Terror

1912 • 50 min • Austria

The hypnotist Svengali makes an artist's model sing, but cannot force her love.

Playing Trumps

1912 • 15 min • United States of America

God Disposes

1912 • 15 min • United States of America

A young man of high social position sacrifices his home and family for a girl of the stage. Cast off by his family, the young man finds that he is not qualified to earn his living. In the meanwhile his wife grows ill, a child is born, and several years after, the man finds himself in narrow straits. He prepares to go out and burglarize a place. His child enters when he leaves his revolver on the table. The child plays with it as with a toy and then innocently removes the bullets. The father comes back and takes the revolver and goes out. Accidentally, the son breaks into his own father's office. The father happens to be working late that night. The son breaks in, tries to shoot his own father. By the intervention of God, the son is saved from a patricide.

A Tragic Love of Mona Lisa

1912 • 18 min • France

The Forest Rose

1912 • 22 min • United States of America

Forester and Maywood, two wealthy neighbor planters, volunteered their services to defend their country when the war of the Revolution broke out. Forester was made colonel of his regiment, while Maywood became a captain. The men mortgaged their plantations and gave the benefits to the government, which was hard pressed for funds. Colonel Forester was mortally wounded at the battle of Cowpens, but before he passed away, Captain Maywood promised that he would care for Forester's motherless little girl.

Nicholas Nickleby

1912 • 31 min • United States of America

With The Old Curiosity Shop and David Copperfield, both released in 1911, and Nicholas Nickleby in 1912, Thanhouser established itself as producer of the best Dickens adaptations in American film.

A Temporary Truce

1912 • 18 min • United States of America

A Mexican is thrown out of a bar by a young prospector and swears to get even. Later, he kidnaps the prospector's wife. In the meantime, a group of drunkards shoot and kill an old Indian; The son, a brave, vows revenge and asks the tribal chief for help. When the Indians attack both prospector and Mexican, these two make a temporary truce and join forces against the common enemy.

At Coney Island

1912 • 6 min • United States of America

Mack takes Mabel to Coney Island, only to have her stolen by slick Ford, who is temporarily out of sight of a watchful wife and children.

A Beast at Bay

1912 • 13 min • United States of America

A young woman is quite taken with a man she met; in fact, he is her “ideal”. However, after her new suitor refuses to get mixed up in a street brawl, the young woman views him as a coward. Nearby, a violent convict has escaped from prison. While the couple takes a ride in the woman’s automobile, the criminal ambushes a guard, taking the officer’s clothing and gun. The young woman still argues her suitor is a coward, drops him off, and drives off alone. She is then carjacked by the on-the-lam criminal. The young man witnesses the ambush and sets out to rescue his lover.

My Baby

1912 • 14 min • United States of America

When the double wedding takes two daughters away from the old man at once, the youngest, now the only one left, in outraged spirit promises never to leave her father, but soon she too is departing for a new home. Then comes a cold hard fact of life. The son-in-law claims his right to make a home alone for his wife. In his bitterness and anger, the father denies them both the house. Several years later the lonely old man meets at the gate a babe in arms. When he learns whose baby it is, heart hunger craves another sight, and sought, brings with it the only natural result.

Shanghaie'd

1912 • 34 min • Denmark

Things are going well for the young ship’s mate Willy. He has just completed his exams with excellent results and, what is more, he has become engaged to his great love, Lilly, a shipowner’s daughter. Her scorned suitor, Mr Bang, a merchant, whose proposal to Lilly was rejected shortly before, is incandescent with rage and hatches a malicious plan to get his rival out of the way. One evening, he lures Willy out to gamble and drink in an obscure harbour pub to get him shanghaied. The plan is to get Willy drunk, make him accept a loan from the pub landlord and sign a receipt which is actually a blank contract committing him to service on board a ship. Bang’s dastardly scheme succeeds, and before Willy realises what is happening, he has become a slave on a half-rotten wreck of a ship, ‘The Octopus’. (Stumfilm.dk)

Bounder

1912 • 12 min

Ruby Blackwell, typical young girl of Arizona, lives with her brother Tom, and their widowed mother in a cabin in the mountains. One day Tom takes Ruby on a lion hunt. They track a puma, or mountain lion. Tom shoots the beast, which, wounded, bounds into the canyon. Tom instructs Ruby to proceed to the ridge and await him there, while he follows the puma up the mountainside. Ruby discovers the cubs belonging to the puma which Tom has shot, and she immediately becomes so engrossed in playing with the huge kittens that she forgets the rendezvous her brother had appointed. Tom finally locates her. The cubs are taken home. They grow up around Ruby like friendly dogs. Pete Lopez, a bad Mexican, who admires Ruby very much, tries to steal one of them at night, after Ruby has refused to sell the animal to him, and the baby puma defends itself vigorously until Tom and Ruby rush to its rescue...

The Crime of Carelessness

1912 • 14 min • United States of America

Edison short about a happy couple about to be married, but the guy's carelessness at their workplace leads to tragedy.

His Double

1912 • 11 min • United States of America

A father who is determined his daughter should marry a count leading the boyfriend to dress up as the count to thwart his plans.