Paul Capellani

The Girl from Arles

The young hero, Frederick, is leaving his country home and going to the city to attend the bull fight, and while there he meets and woos a beautiful maiden, forgetting his own little sweetheart at home.

Babbling Tongues

When elderly Joseph Moreau and his young wife Therese offer refuge to starving young dramatist Paul Savary, gossips begin to spread rumors of a love affair between the wife and the writer. For the good of all concerned, Paul moves into separate quarters. One day Paul overhears the gossip again at a café and challenges the purveyor of the lie to a duel. Moreau, for his own satisfaction, takes Paul's place in combat and is mortally wounded. Moreau staggers to Paul's apartment where he discovers Therese, who has come to beg the writer to refuse to fight.

The Reign of Terror

The scene takes place in Paris in March 1793 during the Reign of Terror. The Knight of Maison-Rouge, posing as Citizen Morand, is organizing the escape of Queen Marie-Antoinette. He is assisted in his undertaking by Dixmer, a master tanner who passes himself off as an ardent revolutionary and his wife Geneviève, who also happens to be the Knight's sister. While on mission with her brother, she is saved from arrest thanks to the intervention of Lieutenant Maurice Lindey. Geneviève, who is married without love to Dixmer, falls for the young man, who requites her love. A tunnel is dug between a house rented by Dixmer and the Tower of the Temple but the various attempts to rescue the queen attempts fail. Marie-Antoinette risks the guillotine/ Moreover, Lindey finds himself involved in the plot...

Germinal

Based on Emile Zola's novel, an uncompromisingly harsh and realistic story of a coalminers' strike in northern France in the 1860s.

The Siren

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.

The Escape from the Tuileries

The Count of Champcenetz is governor of the Palace of the Tuileries. His mistress Grace Elliott, a young widow, begs him not to go the Palace where he must defend King Louis XVI, who is threatened by the Revolution. After a few hours fight, in spite of the Count's best efforts, the crowd captures the King, the Queen, their children and their are taken to the prison of the Temple. Champcenetz, wounded, escapes and, disguised as a sans-culotte, walks back to Mrs. Elliott's. He leaves out of the country with her and marries her.

Le courrier de Lyon

Directed by Albert Capellani.

Le Bercail

Evelyne attempts to reconnect with her family after a traumatizing experience with a young writer.

Camille

Marguerite is a courtesan in Paris. She falls deeply in love with a young man of promise, Armand Duval. When Armand's father begs her not to ruin his hope of a career and position by marrying Armand, she acquiesces and leaves her lover. However, when poverty and terminal illness overwhelm her, Marguerite discovers that Armand has not lost his love for her.

The Death of the Duke of Enghien in 1804

Directed by Albert Capellani.

Sémiramis

Directed by Camille de Morlhon. Set in ancient Babylon.

La Vie de Bohème

Mimi, an orphan, is taken in by a drunken innkeeper and becomes a domestic. She meets Rudolphe, scion of a well-to-do family, who rescues her from the unwanted advances of a drunken hotel guest. They fall madly in love, but Rudolphe's uncle, M. Durandin, wants Rudolphe to marry a family friend, Madame de Rouvre, and writes Mimi a letter, telling her that she is ruining Rudolphe's life. Musette and Marcel, friends of Mimi, also try to break up the romance by introducing Mimi to other men, and Rudolphe becomes jealous and leaves her. Brokenhearted, Mimi declines in health and eventually throws herself into the river but is rescued and taken to the hospital. Realizing it is only a matter of time before she dies, she drags herself back to the room where she and Rudolphe were happiest. Rudolphe is there and she dies knowing that he loves her.

La Bohème

The story of a free-spirited Bohemian. Capellani would remake the film in the U.S. in 1916 with a longer runtime.

Montargis' Dog

The aristocrat Macaire, out of jealousy, plans to ambush his comrade Montargis because the King favors him.

L'Assommoir

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.

One Law for Both

Elga Pulaski and her brother Ossip live in Warsaw. They belong to a secret society whose goal is to liberate Poland and Russia from the Romanoffs. Elga is loved by Baron Jan Slozek. But Slozek is a spy who has Ossip and other members of the society arrested. When Slozek is slain, Ossip is the key suspect. He escapes to America with his sister. There, Elga meets Norman Hutchinson, and marries him without telling him her past. When Hutchinson learns the truth, he leaves Elga. Eventually, when Elga appeals to him, he sees the light.

Don Juan

Pathé's version of José Zorrilla's play, Don Juan Tenorio.

Anna Karenina

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 Foolish Virgin

A 1916 film.

L'Œuvre de Jean Serval

The work of Jacques Serval.

Le Carnaval des vérités

Comtesse Della Gentia and her lover Paul attempt to seduce and blackmail a rich neighbour Juan, who is in love with a naïve young friend of theirs, Clarisse. Their plot fails; the Comtesse kills herself at a ball, and her lover re-covers her face with its mask.

A Bald Lie

John Jones has a bald head and a jealous wife, which, to say the least, is a very bad combination. Also John has a long thirst and is very fond of the society of pretty young ladies. This leads to many unhappy occurrences in his home, and finally to a catastrophe.

Camille

Camille is a courtesan in Paris. She falls deeply in love with a young man of promise, Armand Duval. When Armand's father begs her not to ruin his hopes of a career and position by marrying Armand, she acquiesces and leaves her lover. However, when poverty and terminal illness overwhelm her, Camille discovers that Armand has not lost his love for her.

Ninety-Three

In Britain, during the revolution, the nephew of the Marquis de Lantenac, Gawain (P. Capellani) befriends Cimourdain (H. Krauss), a priest who follows the precepts of the Revolution. During the Terror, the Marquis went into exile in England while his nephew is a soldier in the Revolutionary Army ...

The Common Law

Based on the Novel by Robert W. Chambers of New York City life among the upper-crust, Valerie West , artist/model and philosopher, undergoes much sorrow and joy, many trials and tribulations, and final triumph on her journey to become the living personification of sweet and noble womanhood.

Aladdin and His Wonder Lamp

The legend of Aladdin and his magic lamp: Aladdin finds a magic lamp which brings him wealth, luxury, and marriage to a princess. But his rival, an evil magician, steals the lamp for himself. Aladdin must regain the lamp or lose everything.

The Richest Girl

A girl needs to marry by a year to get her aunt's money but her fiancé has left. After getting permission from her godfather for a "white wedding," she realizes she loves the godfather instead.

The Dark Silence

In Paris Mildred White becomes romantically involved with both Derwent Ainsworth and Dr. Mario Martinez. She prefers Derwent, but when he leaves suddenly to see his dying father, Mario convinces Mildred that he has deserted her. World War I begins, Derwent returns for Mildred, but upon learning that she is leaving Paris with Mario, he enlists in the army. Mildred, learning of Mario's deception joins the Red Cross to be near Derwent. When he is blinded in battle unbeknownst to him Mildred assumes his care. Their love renewed, though he is unaware of her identity, the two soon marry. Mildred then prevails upon Mario to perform a special operation on Derwent's eyes. His vision restored the pair restate their love.

Une femme a menti

Robert Chapelain, a renowned lawyer, loves Annette Rollan, a salesgirl. When his children Jean and Jacqueline witness their uncle telling their father that the woman is no good for him, they invite Annette to ask her to leave Robert.

The Siege of Calais

Historical film set during the Hundred Year War.

Robert Bruce, Episode des Guerres de L'Independence Ecossaise 1314

An account of Robert Bruce's successful avenging of his betrayal by John of Lorne during the 1314 Scottish Wars of Independence.

Phroso

An Englishman, Lord Wheatley, purchases an island over which reigns the supremely beautiful Phroso, thus disposessing her of her land. Revolted, the islanders, supported by an adventurer who desires Phroso, rise against the new master. The English are saved by the British governor, also under the spell of gorgeous Phroso. The latter, for her part, is not wholly insensitive to Lord Wheatley's distinction. The imbroglio still worsens with the meddling of a dark horse : the neighboring sultan.