The Power God, Volume 2 (Chapters 9-15) (1925) (Silent) (DVD)

Racketeer Weston Dore has stolen the late Professor Daniel Sturgess's Atomic Energy Engine, which harnesses the power of the atom. Aided by his wife, flapper-turned-muscle woman Carrie, the gangster has declared himself "The Power God". The only people who stand in his way are Sturgess's daughter and her fiance Jim, who know the secret of disabling the potentially deadly device. Though Dore has thwarted all their efforts to retrieve the invention, help comes from an unexpected quarter when Carrie's long-lost brother, Bernard Christman, offers his assistance in smashing the criminal organization. But it may already be too late. Dore announces his intention to annihilate New York City with atomic energy if his demands are not met, leaving Professor Sturgess's legacy to be one of complete and utter destruction...

The conclusion of this exciting silent serial is directed by Francis Ford, the older brother of Western legend John Ford. The filmmaker's connections to the railroad industry got him exclusive permission to film on the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe lines. Leading man Ben F. Wilson's career went back to the days of Edison films, but he found his greatest success in the realm of movie serials. Some of his most notable chapter plays include The Brass Bullet (1918; he also directed) and The Trail of the Octopus (1919). His popularity was so great that he even received his own trading card as part of a promotion with Piedmont Cigarettes. After making one talkie, the Buck Jones western Shadow Ranch (1930), Wilson died of complications from heart disease at the age of 54.

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