''The Fortieth Door'' is a 1924 American

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

film serial A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, gene ...

directed by

George B. Seitz George Brackett Seitz (January 3, 1888 – July 8, 1944) was an American playwright, screenwriter, film actor and director. He was known for his screenplays for action serials, such as '' The Perils of Pauline'' (1914) and ''The Exploits o ...

and starring

Allene Ray Allene Ray (born Allene Ray Burch; January 2, 1901 – May 5, 1979) was an American film actress. Early years Born in Devine, Texas, Ray grew up on her father's ranch with her four sisters and two brothers. She was learning to ride by age 3, and ...

and Bruce Gordon. The film is considered to be

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

The Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

includes the film among the

National Film Preservation Board The United States National Film Preservation Board (NFPB) is the board selecting films for preservation in the Library of Congress' National Film Registry. It was established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988. The National Film Regi ...

's updated 2019 list of "7,200 Lost U.S. Silent Feature Films" produced between 1912 and 1929."7,200 Lost U.S. Silent Feature Films (1912-29) National Film Preservation Board"
running updated list (current as of October 23, 2019), "Fortieth Door, The (1924), George B. Seitz", p. 1, film number 41. National Film Preservation Board, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
searchable database that includes nearly 11,000 complete or partial titles. Library of Congress. Retrieved January 13, 2020.

Plot

As described in a film magazine review, this desert story concerns Jack Ryder, an American archeologist in Egypt, and Aimee, who is believed to be a Mohammedan. Jack falls in love with Aimee at a dance in a Cairo hotel. Her father agrees to betroth her to a swindling nobleman to keep from being arrested for trading in narcotics. In the ruins of the Egyptian tombs, Jack finds proof that Aimee is a young French woman whose parents had been captured by bandits and had then fallen into the hands of an Egyptian nobleman. All ends well, however, and everyone lives happily thereafter.

Cast

Reception

While the serial consisted mainly of adventures and escapes in the Egyptian desert, its plot also involved

archaeological excavations In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...

. A contemporary archaeological journal, noting how producers had recently promoted historical accuracy as a feature of their films, stated that ''The Fortieth Door'' attempted to bring an overall ancient Egyptian look to scenes with the exterior of a tomb, but the interior lacked any authenticity in its furnishings or jewelry. The article recommended that films employ an

Egyptologist Egyptology (from ''Egypt'' and Greek , '' -logia''; ar, علم المصريات) is the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, architecture and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religious ...

for accuracy.

Chapter titles

References

External links