Volume II: Filmography

THE EMPEROR'S SPY

September 13, 1914 (Sunday)

Length: 1 reel (960 feet)

Character: Drama

Cast: Morris Foster (Captain Davis), Claire Kroell (Valerie Vergere), Sidney Bracy (emissary of the emperor), John Reinhard, John Lehnberg (Secret Service officer)

SYNOPSIS, Reel Life, September 5, 1914:

"A certain foreign government desiring information in regard to certain of the fortifications of the United States, sent Valerie Vergere, one of its cleverest spies, to gain the required information. She meets Captain Davis, a young officer of the Engineer Corps, who is in the confidence of the general staff of the Army, and soon wins his love. Learning that the plans of the fortifications must be secured at once, Valerie, by a clever ruse, secures possession of the plans through Davis. A secret service man is suspicious and warns the captain that Valerie is a foreign spy, but the captain, madly in love, indignantly denies it. Valerie, who overhears this conversation, is shamed by the fact that her champion is the man she has betrayed. A dummy envelope which Valerie has substituted for the one containing the real papers is then in the possession of Captain Davis. Determined to make amends, however, Valerie makes a second substitution, placing in the captain's pocket the envelope containing the real papers. Thus the career of the man she loves is saved, although for the first and last time of her life she has disobeyed the orders of her Emperor."

REVIEW, The Bioscope, December 17, 1914:

"A conventional spy drama, showing how a woman spy steals important papers from a young American statesman, and then, falling in love with the latter, restores them in order to save his reputation. An entirely artificial story, made effective and as convincing as possible by first-rate acting."

REVIEW, The Moving Picture World, September 26, 1914:

"This features a girl in the part of spy attempting to obtain certain information for a foreign country. She makes love to a young army captain and steals the papers and restores them in the same way. The plot of this is a mere incident, and none too convincing at the close. The girl's mode of restoring the papers was not brought out strongly. The photography is acceptable."

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