''The Undercurrent'' was a

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the ...

American silent directed by Wilfrid North, produced by Guy Empey, distributed by Select Pictures. It is based on a story by

Arthur Guy Empey Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more ...

and though fictional, is considered a sequel to ''

Over the Top Over the top may refer to: Music * "Over the Top", a 2017 song by Hey! Say! JUMP * ''Over the Top'' (Cozy Powell album), 1979 album by British drummer Cozy Powell * ''Over the Top'' (Infinite album), 2011 album by South Korean band Infinite * ...

'' which was a 1918 movie loosely based on his autobiographical book of the same name about his own experiences in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

.The Undercurrent
at the American Film Institute: Catalog of Feature Films The

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

premier was held at the Capitol Theatre and was attended by General John J. Pershing who was in New York City for the International Trade Conference of 1919.

Red Scare

''The Undercurrent'' is one of several films from around the same period inspired by if not fanning the flames of the Red Scare which followed

and the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was released during the Steel strike of 1919 which the public had turned against largely due to the Red Scare. Other similarly themed films of the time include '' Bolshevism on Trial'' (1919), ''The Burning Question'' (1919), '' The Right to Happiness'' (1919), ''The Volcano'' (1919), ''The Red Viper'' (1919),''The Great Shadow'' (1920), ''The Lifting Shadow'' (1920), and ''

Dangerous Hours ''Dangerous Hours'' is a 1919 American silent drama film directed by Fred Niblo. Prints of the film survive in the UCLA Film and Television Archive. It premiered in February 1920. The film was based on a short story "A Prodigal in Utopia" publ ...

'' (1920). In the November 14, 1919 issue of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', Charlie Chaplin found it necessary to state "I am absolutely cold on the

Bolshevism Bolshevism (from Bolshevik) is a revolutionary socialist current of Soviet Marxist–Leninist political thought and political regime associated with the formation of a rigidly centralized, cohesive and disciplined party of social revolution, ...

theme Theme or themes may refer to: * Theme (arts), the unifying subject or idea of the type of visual work * Theme (Byzantine district), an administrative district in the Byzantine Empire governed by a Strategos * Theme (computing), a custom graphical ...

; neither am I interested in

Socialism Socialism is a left-wing Economic ideology, economic philosophy and Political movement, movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to Private prop ...

" in order to allay fears of where his sympathies lay in regards to the making of Red Scare films. Empey publicly endorsed deportation for radicals and said "My motto for the Reds is S.O.S. - Ship Or Shot".

Plot

Jack Duncan, a returning

veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that h ...

joins a group of

Bolsheviks The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

. He soon grows disillusioned with the organization and denounces it cause. Mariska, a Russian agent who, upon learning that the authorities are about to arrest her, shoots a fellow provocateur and then turns the

weapon A weapon, arm or armament is any implement or device that can be used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime, law enforcement, ...

on herself.

Cast

* Betty Blythe - Mariska *Vera Boehm - Jack Duncan, Jr * Frederick Buckley - Paris Thann *

Marguerite Courtot Marguerite Gabrielle Courtot (August 20, 1897 – May 28, 1986) was an American silent film actress. Early life Marguerite Gabrielle Courtot was born in Summit, New Jersey, on August 20, 1897 to Gustave Courtot, who was born in France, and Char ...

- Fanny Brett *

Sally Crute Sally Crute (born Sally C. Kirby, June 27, 1886 – August 12, 1971) was an American actress of the silent film era. Biography Born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, before entering motion pictures Crute performed on stage. Crute was generally ca ...

Sylvia Loring * Arthur Donaldson - Malin * William Dunn - Ivan * Guy Empey - Jack Duncan *Betty Hutchinson - Mrs. Loring *Harry Lee - Smith *Florence Evelyn Martin - Lucy Duncan *Frank Norcross - Marinoff *Charles A. Stevenson - John Loring *

Eugene Strong Eugene Strong (August 9, 1893 – June 25, 1962) was an American film actor and vaudevillian. Career Eugene Strong oscillated between stage and film work throughout his acting career. He played the lead role in the stage production of ' ...

- Edward Taylor

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Undercurrent, The American black-and-white films 1919 films American silent feature films Lost American films Selznick Pictures films Films directed by Wilfrid North 1910s American films Red Scare American anti-communist propaganda films