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1919 Movies

Take a nostalgic look back at the top movies of 1919, celebrating the films, directors and actors that defined the year and left a lasting legacy in the world of entertainment.

Male and Female
Written by: Jeanie Macpherson
Directed by: Cecil B. DeMille
Starring: Gloria Swanson, Thomas Meighan, Theodore Roberts
Country: United States of America
Outline: A butler and a maid fall in love, challenging the boundaries of class and society.
source: imdb.com
True Heart Susie
Written by: Marian Fremont
Directed by: D.W. Griffith
Starring: Lillian Gish, Robert Harron, Clarine Seymour, Loyola O'Connor, Wilbur Higby
Country: United States of America
Outline: In a country town, Susie (Lillian Gish), innocent and big-hearted, quietly gives money to William Jenkins (Robert Harron), a man she secretly yearns for, so he can attend college. After he graduates, he returns and becomes the town's minister. However, he never realizes how Susie feels about him and ignores her in favor of Bettina Hopkins (Clarine Seymour), a wild and unfaithful girl who steals his heart. Susie must then find a way to show William that she has loved him all along.
source: imdb.com
The Mother and the Law
Written by: D.W. Griffith
Directed by: D.W. Griffith
Starring: Mae Marsh, Robert Harron, Miriam Cooper, Vera Lewis, Sam De Grasse
Country: United States of America
Outline: The story of a working mother (Mae Marsh) who loses her baby to a corrupt orphanage, is a morality tale about the inconsistency of present-day laws and how two innocents are dragged into its net. Through no fault of their own, they are at its mercy until a kindlier fate rescues them and returns them to a world that condemned them without evidence.
source: imdb.com
Blind Husbands
Written by: Erich von Stroheim
Directed by: Erich von Stroheim
Starring: Erich von Stroheim, Sam De Grasse, Francelia Billington, Edward Connelly, Alan Hale
Country: United States of America
Outline: Set in the Austrian Alps, the film follows a married couple on a hiking trip where the wife becomes the object of desire for a lecherous doctor. The narrative delves into themes of infidelity, jealousy, and the complexities of human relationships.
source: imdb.com
Nerves
Written by: Robert Reinert
Directed by: Robert Reinert
Starring: Eduard von Winterstein, Lia Borré, Erna Morena
Country: Germany
Outline: Set in post-World War I Germany, the film portrays the lives of various individuals from different social strata, including a manufacturer, a teacher advocating for social reform, and a woman who becomes a revolutionary. The narrative explores how the societal upheavals of the time lead to a 'nervous epidemic' affecting people's actions and moral choices.
source: imdb.com
Different from the Others
Written by: Richard Oswald, Magnus Hirschfeld
Directed by: Richard Oswald
Starring: Conrad Veidt, Fritz Schulz, Reinhold Schünzel, Anita Berber, Magnus Hirschfeld, Karl Giese
Country: Germany
Outline: The film tells the story of Paul Körner, a successful violinist who falls in love with his male student, Kurt. Facing blackmail and societal condemnation due to their homosexual relationship, Paul and Kurt's lives take a tragic turn, highlighting the oppressive laws against homosexuality in early 20th-century Germany.
source: imdb.com
Wagon Tracks
Written by: Lambert Hillyer, William S. Hart
Directed by: Lambert Hillyer
Starring: William S. Hart, Louise Glaum, J. Farrell MacDonald, Robert McKim, Frank Clark
Country: United States of America
Outline: The film follows a group of pioneers traveling westward in a wagon train, facing various challenges and dangers along the way. Themes of leadership, survival, and the pioneering spirit are central to the narrative.
source: imdb.com
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch
Written by: Hugh Ford, Alice Hegan Rice
Directed by: Hugh Ford
Starring: Mary Carr, May McAvoy, Charles Ray, Tully Marshall, Edward Arnold
Country: United States of America
Outline: The film portrays the life of Mrs. Wiggs, a poor but optimistic woman living in a slum area known as the Cabbage Patch. Despite her hardships, she remains hopeful and strives to improve the lives of her children and neighbors.
source: imdb.com
Victory
Written by: Jules Furthman
Directed by: Maurice Tourneur
Starring: Jack Holt, Seena Owen, Lon Chaney, Wallace Beery, Bull Montana
Country: United States of America
Outline: Axel Heyst, a reclusive man, offers shelter to Alma, a troubled young woman, on his isolated island. Their peaceful life is disrupted when a group of criminals led by Mr. Jones invade, seeking treasure and causing turmoil.
source: imdb.com
Scarlet Days
Written by: S. E. V. Taylor
Directed by: D.W. Griffith
Starring: Richard Barthelmess, Clarine Seymour, Eugenie Besserer, Carol Dempster, Ralph Graves
Country: United States of America
Outline: Set during the California gold rush, the film follows Lady Fair as she searches for her mother, leading to encounters with various characters in the Old West. The story explores themes of love, betrayal, and redemption.
source: imdb.com
The Dragon Painter
Written by: Richard Schayer
Directed by: William Worthington
Starring: Sessue Hayakawa, Tsuru Aoki, Edward Peil Sr.
Country: United States of America
Outline: Tatsu, a reclusive artist, believes his fiancée has been transformed into a dragon. He meets Ume Ko, who he believes is the reincarnation of his lost love, leading to a journey of love and artistic rediscovery.
source: rottentomatoes.com
The Sentimental Bloke
Written by: Lottie Lyell
Directed by: Raymond Longford
Starring: Arthur Tauchert, Lottie Lyell, Gilbert Emery
Country: Australia
Outline: Based on C.J. Dennis's poem, the film follows Bill, a working-class man, and his romantic entanglements with Doreen, exploring themes of love and social class.
source: imdb.com
Don't Change Your Husband
Written by: Jeanie Macpherson
Directed by: Cecil B. DeMille
Starring: Gloria Swanson, Elliott Dexter, Bebe Daniels
Country: United States of America
Outline: A woman dissatisfied with her marriage contemplates divorce, leading to a series of comedic and dramatic events that challenge her perceptions of love and commitment.
source: imdb.com
For Better, for Worse
Written by: Jeanie Macpherson
Directed by: Cecil B. DeMille
Starring: Gloria Swanson, Elliott Dexter, Bebe Daniels
Country: United States of America
Outline: A woman dissatisfied with her marriage contemplates divorce, leading to a series of comedic and dramatic events that challenge her perceptions of love and commitment.
source: imdb.com
Daddy-Long-Legs
Written by: Frances Marion
Directed by: Marshall Neilan
Starring: Mary Pickford, Wesley Barry, Edmund Burns
Country: United States of America
Outline: A young woman, orphaned and impoverished, receives an anonymous scholarship to attend college, leading to a series of adventures and romantic entanglements.
source: imdb.com
The Miracle Man
Written by: George Loane Tucker
Directed by: George Loane Tucker
Starring: Thomas Meighan, Betty Compson, Lon Chaney, Joseph J. Dowling, J.M. Dumont
Country: United States of America
Outline: A gang of con artists plans to exploit a faith healer in a small New England town, but their scheme unravels as they fall under the healer's influence.
source: imdb.com
The Dark Star
Written by: Robert W. Chambers, Frances Marion
Directed by: Allan Dwan
Starring: Marion Davies, Dorothy Green, Norman Kerry, Matt Moore, Ward Crane
Country: United States of America
Outline: A fabulous jewel known as the 'Dark Star' is stolen; a pastor's daughter gets involved, falling into the depths of a spy plot concerning war plans and fortifications.
source: imdb.com