"IT DARES TO TELL THE TRUTH!"
A young woman with a shady past goes to the tropics, where she winds up marrying a vicious and brutal pearl trader, then falls in love with another man.
Social & External
The people behind it
Dorothy Burgess
Norma
Alan Hale
Klaus van Leyden
Walter Byron
Tom O'Neil
Henry Durant
Matizzi
Val Duran
Pimo
"The Dawn of Freedom" is a stinging satire on the death of those ideals that prompted the founders of the United States.
To help his dying father, assistant bank cashier Arthur Mansfield enters a fake sum in the bank's account book, but before carrying out the pilferage, he confesses to cashier Slayton, his superior. Slayton, who needs money to pay for his unsuccessful speculations, goes at night to take the money that Mansfield planned to embezzle, so that Mansfield will take the blame.
The Twelfth Regiment is to leave for the front in the morning at seven, and Captain Steadwell, who has been missing for three days, has not yet appeared. Unless he is found and returned to the head of his company by seven the next morning, disgrace will fall on him and his fiancée, Ellen Ferguson. Ellen is also loved by the new assistant secretary of war, Richard Ralston, who does not know of her engagement, Worried by Steadwell's continued absence, Ellen appeals to Dick to find him. Dick sets out to locate him, and the trail leads to Gladys, an actress whose photo was on Steadwell's table.
After divorcing her husband Kent, actress Anne Wetherall returns to the stage. Upon receiving a plea for help from childhood chum Nell Jerrold begging Anne to save Nell's daughter Betty from marrying Kent, the ex-Mrs. Wetherall decides to journey to the Jerrold's home in the town of Wheaton to investigate.
Jeanette, the pretty daughter of a hard-working family of the tenement district, envies other girls with good clothing. She meets the flashy Carrie who invites her out lending her some of her gaudy evening wear. Though tempted by the easy life offered Jeanette sees the peril of that life when a kindly fallen woman warns her of the dangers ahead.
Melia Nobbs, a young Canadian woman, supports both her invalid father Ambrose and brother Henry. When Henry faces arrest for helping himself to his employer's cash, Melia steals the amount from the star of the theater where she has been dancing and offers it to her brother if he will enlist in the army. Henry agrees and goes off to war, making Ambrose proud of his son, but when Ambrose learns that his daughter has been arrested for theft, he disowns her. Melia does not reveal the reason for taking the money and is sent to prison. Meanwhile, Henry fights bravely in France and returns home minus an arm but wearing the Victoria Cross. He finds his sister, weak and worn from overwork, in the prison hospital. Seeing her brother with his medals, Melia realizes that her sacrifices for him and her country have not been in vain, and that in her own way, she has served her country.
Irma is waiting for her escort to take her to a party when she falls asleep and has the most terrible dream. She dreams that she is a poor little girl in the country and has to do all the chores. She gets into all kinds of trouble helping the other children and finally falls in the brook. But just as she is bewailing her fate her mother wakes her and says that Bennie has come to take her to the party. The dream is over and Irma is glad that it was only a dream.
A simple born man rises to power in Mexico but when the country is torn by war he travels to the US in search of arms to aid the fight. While there he saves Hiram and his sister Rosa with whom he becomes enamored. He feels the pull to stay with her but leaves her with the assurance he will return when the battle is won.
Shirley Christy, Champion Mile Runner of the World, has become a tramp and finds himself in the mountains of Arizona. In flashback we see that he was framed for cheating which led to his fall. He drifts into a mining camp where by chance he discovers the cheat who ruined him, up to his old tricks. He foils the new plot, wins the girl of his dreams and faces the world with new determination.
Mr. Carlson of Arizona comes to New York where he is summarily swindled out of his funds and deserted by all his new “friends.” An anonymous friend out West learning of his plight offers him a position as engineer in a construction camp. After a few more travails he discovers his patron is Agnes, the girl he has come to love, and they are united in wedlock.
Upon her parents death heiress Alice Rowland is placed under the guardianship of unscrupulous George Baring, who seeks to gain control of her fortune. First, he tries to force a marriage between Alice and his son James, but old family friend Henry Whitworth, prevents the marriage. Increasingly more desperate Baring imprisons Alice in her room, but she escapes and flees to Whitworth in the middle of the night. Baring petitions the courts for her forced return just as Alice discovers she can dissolve the guardianship by marriage. Alice then marries Whitworth, thus defeating Baring's wicked schemes and securing a happy ending.
Miriam Gibson is seduced by a handsome adventurer who then abandons her and their child to marry for money. Penniless she becomes a prostitute to care for her child but when the baby dies a hopeless Miriam goes to London becoming the housekeeper and eventual mistress of barrister Geoffrey Sherwood. Jilted by his fiancée Valentine, who likewise married for money, Sherwood has become an alcoholic. As Miriam and Geoffrey grow closer, she hopes for marriage, but when an unhappy Valentine begins to trifle with Geoffrey, he responds and discards Miriam until he realizes Valentine’s shallowness versus Miriam's kindness and consideration for others. They marry in a little Scottish kirk, and sail for Buenos Aires to begin a new life.
The itinerant Jewish country peddler Abraham Jacobs saves his pennies until he can afford to open a small second-hand clothing store. Unfortunately, Abraham's son Sonny has not inherited his father's decent, hardworking instincts so when his mistress, Mrs. Morgan, needs money Sammy robs Abraham's safe and then disappears. Time passes, and oil is discovered on a tract of land left to Abraham by his late wife. Although he can now afford to live comfortably with his adopted daughter Mary, Abraham still strongly feels the loss of his son. His life is finally made complete when Sammy returns repentant to marry Abraham's housekeeper Sarah, and the old peddler, his struggles now over, can spend the rest of his days surrounded by his family.
A group of young people made a bet, according to the terms of which they had to visit a cemetery at midnight.
A doctor kills and embalms a woman in order to preserve her beauty.
A young man discovers the reason his new bride killed herself.
The house next door to Mr. Cobb is rented by Mrs. Rose, a widow who moves in with her little girl Helen. Mr. Cobb is a widower with a little boy, Phil.
Virginia Chester visits her Aunt Betty who resides near an army post. Lieut. Calhoun falls in love with Virginia, and after a whirlwind courtship persuades her to marry him secretly. Helen Brassey, the daughter of the Colonel, is in love with Calhoun, and gets her father to help her win the lieutenant's affections.
While a Union picket reminisces about his sweetheart and recalls leaving home to go to war, a Confederate ambushes soldier ambushes and kills him.
Theda Bara plays Princess Zara, who lives on a South Sea Island. A handsome young missionary (William B. Davidson) arrives and there is a romance, which is hindered by various complications including a typhoon.
Trying to put her life back together after the death of her husband, Libby and her children move to her estranged Aunt's goat farm in central Texas.
A widow with three children hires a handyman to fix her house during a major storm. When not doing home repairs, he shares his philosophy of believing in the power of the universe to deliver what we want.
A young woman who is determined to maintain her independence finds herself at odds with her family who wants her to tame her wild side and get married.
Val Xavier, a drifter of obscure origins, arrives at a small town and gets a job in a store run by Lady Torrence. Her husband, Jabe M. Torrance, is dying of cancer. Val is pursued by Carol Cutere, the enigmatic local tramp-of-good-family.
In Marseilles, France in 1794, Desiree Clary, a young millinery clerk, becomes infatuated with Napoleon Bonaparte, but winds up wedding General Jean-Baptiste Berandotte, an aid to Napoleon who later joins the forces that bring about the Emperor's downfall. Josephine Beauharnais, a worldly courtesan marries Napoleon and becomes Empress of France, but is then cast aside by her spouse when she proves unable to produce an heir to the throne.
A hard-working, white-collar girl falls in love with a young socialite, but meets with his family's disapproval.
Pregnant out of wedlock, an educated young woman is pressured by her father into an arranged marriage with a lonely farmer in this drama set during WWII.
Unhappily married, Julia Sturges decides to go to America with her two children on the Titanic. Her husband, Richard also arranges passage on the luxury liner so as to have custody of their two children. All this fades to insignificance once the ship hits an iceberg.
When his mother dies, young Peter Ibbetson leaves Paris and his best friend, Mary, behind to live with a severe uncle in England. Years later, Peter is an architect with little time for women, until he begins a project with the Duke and Duchess of Towers. When Peter and the duchess become great friends, she reveals that she is Mary — but the duke soon suspects his wife of infidelity and challenges Peter to a duel, threatening the pair's second chance.
A holiday fable that tells the story of an elderly man discovering love for the first time.
The seeds of love are planted when Lisa, a high-powered investment banker, receives flowers from a secret admirer. But when his fairy-tale fantasies clash with her workaholic ways, they soon find out that sometimes, it's harder than it seems for love to conquer all.
In the 1930s, British officer John Truscott journeys to a remote village in colonial Malaysia to educate and Westernize the local Iban population. There, he's introduced to the lovely Selima. In keeping with tradition, Selima is assigned to sleep with Truscott and teach him the native language and customs. But when they fall in love, both colonists and natives object to their plans to marry.
A troubled young woman becomes obsessed with her mysterious new neighbor, who bears a striking resemblance to the girl's dead mother.
When librarian Taylor Harris suddenly loses her job, she decides to visit her brother in a small town in Montana. There, she gets involved in the fight to help save her brother's hotel from tycoon Joel Sheenan, who wants to renovate it.
An unemployed drifter, Eric Stanton wanders into a small California town and begins hanging around the local diner. While Eric falls for the lovely waitress Stella, he also begins romancing a quiet and well-to-do woman named June Mills. Since Stella isn't interested in Eric unless he has money, the lovelorn guy comes up with a scheme to win her over, and it involves June. Before long, murder works its way into this passionate love triangle.
Mitch Wayne is a geologist working for the Hadleys, an oil-rich Texas family. While the patriarch, Jasper, works hard to establish the family business, his irresponsible son, Kyle, is an alcoholic playboy, and his daughter, Marylee, is the town tramp. Mitch harbors a secret love for Kyle's unsatisfied wife, Lucy -- a fact that leaves him exposed when the jealous Marylee accuses him of murder.
Wealthy American widower Adam Verver and his daughter Maggie live a refined life in Europe, surrounded by art. Maggie marries impoverished Italian Prince Amerigo, while Adam marries Maggie's friend Charlotte Stant. The Prince and Charlotte are having an affair, which Maggie discovers and navigates through a silent, psychological battle of wills, ultimately using her cunning to preserve her marriage and protect her father.
Two childhood sweethearts, now both widowed, share a night by a lake in the mountains.
A nobleman vows to avenge the death of his father by the hands of pirates. To this end, he infiltrates the pirate band; Acting in character, he single-handedly captures a merchant vessel, but things are complicated when he finds that there is a beautiful young woman of royal blood aboard.
A stranded carnival dancer takes on a corrupt political boss when she marries into small-town society.