The Strange Adventures of Prince Courageous

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves

November 1918 •English

Ali Baba, a poor Turkish wood chopper, discovers that a robbers' cave, concealed in the mountains that surround his house, opens to the magical phrase, "Open Sesame." Learning that the cave is filled with stolen treasure, he takes home as much as he can carry, but his greedy brother forces him to reveal the cave's location. After gaining admittance to the cave, Ali Baba's brother is seen by the thieves and killed. Meanwhile, Ali Baba falls in love with Morgianna, a slave girl forced to dance in the local inn, and by securing her freedom, he wins her love and loyalty. The leader of the band of robbers suspects that Ali Baba knows the secret of the treasure cave, and in the guise of an oil merchant, he visits Ali Baba with his forty thieves concealed in oil jars. When Morgianna discovers the robbers, she fills the jars with boiling oil, thereby killing them all. Ali Baba defeats the robber chief in combat and then marries his beautiful Morgianna.

The Golem

January 1915 •German

This mostly lost film is often confused with director Paul Wegener third and readily available interpretation of the legend; Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam (1920). In this version of the golem legend, the golem, a clay statue brought to life by Rabbi Loew in 16th century Prague to save the Jews from the ongoing brutal persecution by the city's rulers, is found in the rubble of an old synagogue in the 20th century. Brought to life by an antique dealer, the golem is used as a menial servant. Eventually falling in love with the dealer's wife, it goes on a murderous rampage when its love for her goes unanswered.

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp

October 1917 •English

In Bagdad, Princess Badr al-Budur, the daughter of the Sultan, falls in love with Aladdin, the son of a poor tailor, and rejects the suit of evil alchemist al-Talib, her father's choice. Al-Talib consults his Evil Spirit, who advises him to find the magic lamp hidden in an underground cave. Unable to get it himself, al-Talib hires Aladdin, who secures the lamp but keeps it when he realizes al-Talib's wickedness. With wealth obtained through wishes, Aladdin courts the princess. After the lamp changes hands between al-Talib and Aladdin, al-Talib steals it and abducts the princess to the desert. Aladdin follows with only a gourd of water. Suffering from thirst and exhaustion, Aladdin nearly succumbs, but the horsemen of the Sultan, who learned of his daughter's abduction, ride up and rescue Aladdin.

The Ghost of Slumber Mountain

November 1918 •English

In a dream Uncle Jack looks through a magic telescope owned by the ghost of a hermit and sees what life was like millions of years ago, including a battle between prehistoric monsters.

Snow White

December 1916 •English

Snow White, a beautiful girl, is despised by a wicked queen who tries to destroy her. With the aid of dwarfs in the woods, Snow White overcomes the queen.

Lily of Life

January 1920 •French

Loie Fuller, in her 1920 feature-length film Le Lys de la vie, […] explored the new technique for poetic ends, creating fleeting, dreamlike images that "freed" the medium from "illusionism" and imbued it with fantasy. A 17 minutes fragment is held at the Cinémathèque française.

Neptune's Daughter

April 1914 •English

The daughter of King Neptune takes on human form to avenge the death of her young sister, who was caught in a fishing net. However, she falls in love with the king, the man she holds responsible.

The Prophetess of Thebes

February 1908 •French

Partially lost film. One of the kings of ancient Thebes enters the abode of an astrologer and demands that he be told his future. The former utterly refuses to forecast the coming events of his sovereign, even under the pain of death; but he brings forth a priestess who possesses the powers of divination. This priestess is introduced in a wonderful way: a throne is brought forward, and then a box from which the pieces of a statue are removed and piled up in regular order; the statue suddenly becomes animated. The king implores the latter to foretell his life. She commands him to look through a telescope toward the side of the room. A vision appears. (Moving Picture World)

Fragments of Archives #76 - #77

August 2025 •French

Fragments retrieved from Archives 76 & 77 have recently been digitized. They appear to document a divine corpus with no known equivalent in mythological, historical, or religious records. The exact origin of these materials remains unclear. No official trace has been found in any consulted database to date. Independent researchers are currently investigating their content.

The Enchanted Pond

November 1907 •French

In an outdoor setting, a magician makes pond nymphs and frog people appear out of water and thin air.

The Callahans and the Murphys

June 1927 •English

The story of two feuding Irish immigrant families living in a tenement.

Lessons in Love

May 1921 •English

Lawyer Hanover Priestley plots with his friend Henry Winkley to marry off young heiress Leila Calthorpe to Winkley's nephew, John Warren. When John refuses, preferring to select his own wife, they lure him east by a false report of Winkley's death. Indignant at his rebuff, Leila disguises herself as Perkins, a maid, and romances him, leading him to believe that Aunt Agatha is the heiress. Complications develop, and after saving her from a fire John discovers her identity and agrees to marry her.

Mama's Affair

January 1921 •English

Eve Orrin is at the mercy of her possessive mother, who has a case of "nerves" every time her daughter tries to show a mind of her own. Mrs. Orrin and her friend, Mrs. Marchant, have determined that Eve will marry Mrs. Marchant's milquetoast son, Henry, and Eve is willing to go along with it just to placate her mother. But Eve herself finally has an attack of nerves, and she falls in love with Doctor Harmon, the physician called in to care for her.

Two Weeks

January 1920 •English

The Sins of Rosanne

November 1920 •English

Roseanne (Ethel Clayton) has grown up near some diamond mines in South Africa. As a child, she became ill and a Malay nurse, Rachel Bangat (Fontaine La Rue) promised to cure her. That she did, but she also worked some voodoo on the child, who, as a grown up now displays a powerful desire for diamonds and the ability to throw evil curses on those who displease her.

Enemies of Women

April 1923 •English

The dashing but arrogant Prince Michael Fedor Lubimoff has to flee Tsarist Russia after falling into disgrace and settles in Monte Carlo, where he resumes his life of debauchery while World War I ravages the fields of Europe… (Partially lost film; reels 3 and 9 of a total of 11 are missing.)

The Woman God Changed

July 1921 •English

In a jealous rage dancer Anna Janssen shoots her common-law husband Alastair De Vries in a cafe when she discovers him with a chorus girl. Fleeing to Tahiti she is tracked by detective Thomas McCarthy who arrests her. On their return journey they are marooned on a deserted island. After 2 years together, they realize their love and take marriage vows, but when a ship is sighted, she insists, against his wishes, that she return to face trial.

Empty Hearts

September 1924 •English

Milt Kimberlin is a down-on-his luck horse owner, but Rosalie, a cabaret performer (the lively and engaging Clara Bow), doesn't care -- she turns down the fancy jewelry offered by oily Frank Gorman for a wedding ring from Kimberlin. Even though his finances never improve, Rosalie sticks by her husband only to sicken and die in a garret. Kimberlin's luck changes almost overnight and he becomes incredibly wealthy.

The Moonstone

June 1915 •English

Pursued by three Indian priests after stealing “The Moonstone” a valuable diamond from the eye of an Indian idol Englishman, Hearncastle is found drowned, presumably by the Indians. Possession of the Moonstone passes to his friend Franklin Blake who presents the diamond to his fiancée. However it is stolen and suspicion falls on another girl who loves Blake particularly after she leaves a mysterious note at her suicide. Subsequently, a doctor discovers that Blake walks in his sleep and took the diamond himself while in that state, but then stolen and never recovered. At last, the thief confesses before his death with Blake and his fiancée reuniting.

Divorce and the Daughter

December 1916 •English