A 40-minute WWI propaganda time capsule that shames pacifists and glorifies the draft — peak 1917 energy.
Mary Alden and her brothers Matthew and George have extremely different political views. Matthew is a committed pacifist, and is constantly giving speeches against war. George is notified that his draft number, 258, has been called and to report for induction, but he refuses. Mary, on the other hand, is intensely patriotic and comes up with a plan to shame him into reporting for induction. Meanwhile, Matthew is being set up for a patsy by a gang of German secret agents, led by Van Bierman, who are planning to blow up an airplane factory.
Production
Surviving as a rare glimpse of WWI-era cinematic nationalism.
Writing
Shamelessly manipulative plotting that would make modern MCU blush.
Director
Christy Cabanne
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This is considered a lost film — no complete prints are known to survive, only fragments and stills remain.
Released six months after U.S. entered WWI, it was part of a government-coordinated wave of films designed to boost enlistment and demonize dissent.
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