Devil's Island (Silent)

French Penal law at the turn of the century exceeds in brutality, allowing prisoners on Devil's Island to marry, but condemning the innocent offspring to life imprisonment on the isle. Brilliant surgeon Leon Valyon is the spawn of just such a union, and his mother, Jeanette, has dedicated her life to devising a way for her son to escape. The two have been secretly working on a small boat and Jeanette has bribed officials to smuggle her son on a ship to Paris. A week before he is to depart, Leon comes to his mother with heartbreaking news. He has fallen in love with a local girl and refuses to leave!

Actress Pauline Frederick was such a popular star on Broadway, that when she made the transition to film in The Emerald City (1915), her wide appeal brought box office success. Although she would appear in sixty-seven films, culminating in the sound era with Thank You, Mr. Moto (1937) only fifteen survive, making Devil's Island a rare opportunity the see this great actress at work in a first class, beautifully photographed production.

• silent