Robert Broderick
In the days before the U.S. enters World War I Marion Ashley, an American woman living in Paris, discovers that her husband, Franz Jorn, is a spy. So she leaves him and goes to the neighboring (and fictional) neutral nation of Belmark to stay with her father, an American Ambassador. After she hears her husband has been killed, she resumes an old romance with the Crown Prince and they go through a secret morganatic marriage ceremony.
Rozika is a Hungarian girl who can sing quite nice. She goes to the place known as the United States with her brother whose name happens to be Young Carl. Rozika marries a chap named Trevor and a predicament ensued after the Great War comes knocking at the door.
On the lam from the New York Police because of a false murder charge, playboy Brooke Travers escapes to a Central American banana republic.
Hazel Dawn starred as Clarissa, who upon graduating from a private girl's school learns that her widowed father has remarried. At first resentful of her new stepmother (Dorothy Bernard), Clarissa slowly warms up to the woman. Later on, the heroine falls in love with a handsome attorney named Gambier (James Kirkwood), only to be disillusioned when she catches the attorney and the stepmother in a warm embrace.
While traveling incognito through his kingdom, Prince Ludwig of Saxe-Tholberg becomes infatuated with Katrina, the daughter of innkeeper Hermann Ardelheim, but their idyll is interrupted by the arrival of a courier bearing the news that Austrania has threatened war. Katrina is heartbroken to discover the identity of her sweetheart whom she can never hope to marry. After Ludwig's departure, Katrina overhears the plotting of two spies and with the help of her brother Roalf, she confronts them. In the ensuing struggle, Katrina kills one of them, who turns out to be the Austranian ambassador. Although Katrina admits her crime, Marshal von Trump plans to execute Roalf in order to pacify the Austranians. Katrina appeals to Ludwig, who pardons Roalf over the advice of his counselors causing Austrania to declare war. A crucial battle is fought near the Ardelheim inn, during which Katrina becomes a heroine by signaling the advance of Ludwig's troops.
A young girl, Anemone ( Mary Pickford ), who lives with her Aunt ( Ida Waterman ) is abducted by a crude family of Virginia mountain moonshiners. A fight between two of the young male relatives decides who will marry the girl. Lancer ( James Kirkwood ) is the winner and marries Anemone against her will. She is reunited some time later with her Aunt, but when she learns Lancer is in dire trouble she returns and stays by his side, realizing she had always been in love with him.
This elaborate and well-staged silent version of Hertz' play is exceedingly well produced for 1913: it starts off by introducing the actors by name and role, then showing them in double exposure in street clothes and in costumes. The production values are also elaborate and the look of the set designs reminds one of the elaborate backdrops that Melies used in his shots.
