|
The Mystery Woman
(1915) United States of America
B&W : Two reels
Directed by [?] Wilfred Lucas and/or Edward Sloman?
Cast: Cleo Madison [Berta Macklin, the mystery woman], Joe King [Macklin, Berta’s husband], Edward Sloman [Boyd, the miner], [?] Dan Hanford or Ray Hanford? [the notary]
The Universal Film Manufacturing Company, Incorporated, production; distributed by The Universal Film Manufacturing Company, Incorporated [101-Bison]. / Scenario by Bess Meredyth. / Released 30 January 1915. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format. / [?] Website-IMDb lists the director as Edward Sloman.
Drama: Western.
Synopsis: [?] [From The Moving Picture World]? Berta, “the crazy girl,” as they term her, lives in the haunted house, a quarter of a mile from the town. She had come to the town two years before, but none knew from whence. She goes to the gambling hall, a usual custom, and is successful at the gaming table. She throws the money away to children in the street. A stranger, named Boyd, arrives in the stagecoach and sees the girl as she passes. He recognizes her and follows her. She does not remember him and repulses him. He returns to the notary and bribes him into performing a marriage between himself and Berta that night. When it is dark he goes to the haunted house and asks the girl to walk with him. She agrees and he takes her to the notary’s house and there the marriage is performed. The girl does not realize what she is doing. Meanwhile, another stranger, Macklin, arrives in town, and the landlord, coming to his room, sees a picture of a young girl on his dresser and recognizes it as Berta, the crazy girl. He tells Macklin who, crazed with excitement, rushes out. Boyd and Berta return to the house, and as they start to enter, the girl pulls away, and holds the door. They have a struggle and the girl succeeds in escaping out the window as the man breaks in the door. Berta takes her horse and rides away at break-neck speed. Boyd does not attempt to follow, but goes back to the house and starts searching for some papers which he finds under a loose board. As he finds them, Macklin arrives in search of Berta. The two men confront each other and a terrible fight ensues. Meanwhile, Berta is thrown from her horse on her head, and when she regains consciousness, sanity and memory return to her. Slowly everything is revealed to her. On the eve of her marriage to Macklin, Boyd stands by jealously watching all. Later, in her husband’s gambling hall, Macklin gives her the deeds to the Eldorado Mine, making her the richest woman in the country. That night, after closing time, as she waits alone in the gambling hall, Macklin having gone to the corral for the horses, Boyd returns. He rushes for the girl, grabs the deeds which she has in her hands, and indicates he will have both. Macklin returns at that moment. Boyd fires, and shoots Macklin. Both he and Berta think he is dead. Boyd escapes; Berta, thinking her husband is dead, raises the gun to her head and fires. The bullet grazes her temple and she starts up smiling insanely and rushes forth into the night. The girl on the ground remembers all, her marriage to Boyd, and with but one idea, resolves to return and avenge Macklin’s death. She catches the horse and rides back, returning to the house, to find her husband dying. As she stands there, Boyd secures the gun and is about to fire at Macklin when Berta rushes at him and deflects his gun’s aim, the bullet entering his own body. Macklin sees Berta for the first time, and takes her in his arms.
Reviews: [The Moving Picture World, 30 January 1915, page ?] A western two-reel story, quite well constructed and unique in development. The girl heroine is first discovered wandering across the hills, half demented. Cleo Madison makes this part rather attractive in spite of its somewhat depressing nature. The villain pays attention to her and tries to force her into a marriage. He is almost successful in this, but the hero turns up and it develops that the latter is already her husband. The girl has a fall and her mental powers are restored, and the missing parts of the tale are flashed on the screen as visions that come to her. The photography is good and the cast pleasing.
Survival status: (unknown)
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Keywords: Mines - Weapons: Guns
Listing updated: 1 December 2022.
References: Edmonds-BigU p. 48 : Website-IMDb.
|
