Zeus

Less Than The Dust (1916)

• Director
  • John Emerson
• Writer
  • Hector Turnbull(scenario)
• Stars
  • Mary Pickford
  • David Powell
  • Frank Losee

  In this lesser Mary Pickford vehicle -- her first picture under the Artcraft banner -- the star plays Radha, an English girl who was abandoned by her drug-addicted father, a British Army officer, in India. She has been brought up by Ramlan, a native swordmaker (Mario Majeroni), and believes herself to be a Hindu. There is an uprising, and Captain Richard Townsend (David Powell), who has befriended Radha, is wounded and in danger of being killed. But Radha saves him, and then she goes to rescue Ramlan, who has been jailed. Ramlan reveals her English origins, and she returns to England to claim the inheritance that is due her. But she discovers that Townsend, who is a nephew of her grandfather, has been bequeathed the fortune. This doesn't matter, however, because Townsend marries Radha.