The Pursuit of the Phantom

Accompanied by his dog Skookum, artist Richard Alden goes to work painting the beauty of Laguna Beach. There he courts a city woman, much to the delight of a whimsical waif who weaves fantasies about the lovers. The idyll is interrupted, though, when Wyant Van Zandt, an ambitious millionaire, steals the artist's sweetheart. Alden marries the waif, who later bears him six children. Years pass, and Van Zandt's son falls in love with Helen, the artist's daughter. Indignant at the unsuitability of the match, the millionaire forces his son to break with Helen. Thinking that his daughter's honor has been compromised, Alden attacks and chokes the youth, but at young Van Zandt's bedside, all are reconciled. An allegorical epilogue contrasts the lots of Van Zandt and Alden. To the left, the millionaire embraces a skeleton in black, while, to the right, the artist holds his wife. -From TCM.com Database, powered by the AFI.

Directed by Hobart Bosworth, The Pursuit of the Phantom leans on a strong ensemble — Hobart Bosworth, Rhea Haines, Helen Wolcott — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1914.