When The Clouds Roll By (Silent)

Diabolical Dr. Metz shocks his colleagues by announcing that he plans to sacrifice the life of a healthy human in his latest experiment. He has selected Daniel Boone Brown, an average American as his guinea pig and by using "modern methods" of mind control, plots to drive the young man to suicide. Dr. Metz secretly meddles with Brown's life causing him to lose his job, his girl, his health and finally his sanity. Teetering on the brink of self-destruction, Brown reaches deep into the resources of the human spirit, in a desperate attempt to survive.

A lost gem, When The Clouds Roll By features dazzling surreal dream sequences and special effects, including a well-executed "walking on the ceiling and walls" episode which predates Fred Astaire's reprise of the stunt in 1951's Royal Wedding by decades. The spectacular flood finale utilizes fantastic miniatures to great effect, providing a stupendous climax unrivaled in its day.

From his humble start in the silent era as an assistant cameraman, Victor Fleming debuted as a director with 1919's When The Clouds Roll By. He went on to direct numerous towering Hollywood classics, his most spectacular year 1939, when he helmed both The Wizard Of Oz and Gone With The Wind. Other notable productions include Treasure Island (1934), Captains Courageous (1937), Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde (1941) and Joan Of Arc (1948).

As Daniel Boone Brown, Douglas Fairbanks, the most popular star of his day, unwittingly becomes the subject of a psychoanalytic hypnosis experiments, resulting in the extensive athletic stunts for which Fairbanks was famous. Brown blames the hypnosis on a ring and tosses it aside. The ring is promptly picked up by the woman (Kathleen Clifford) who will become Brown's sweetheart, but only after a villain (Frank Campeau) is overcome, many stunts are performed, and numerous comedic obstacles have been surpassed. This slapstick farce stands among Fairbanks's funniest films.