The Beckoning Flame (1915)

movie

Country: USA
Genres: Drama, Short
Release: 1916-01-16
Director: Charles Swickard
Writers: C. Gardner Sullivan
Language: None | English
Stars: Henry Woodruff , Tsuru Aoki , Rhea Mitchell , J. Frank Burke , Louis Morrison , J. Barney Sherry , Roy Laidlaw , Joseph J. Dowling
Runtime: min
Awards: N/A
AKA: The Beckoning Flame , The Beckoning Flame (United States of America)
Plot: Harry Dickson is an attractive young Englishman, who is engaged to a beautiful English girl, Elsa Arlington. While serving as a deputy commissioner in a principality in India, he becomes acquainted with the daughter of a nobleman named Janira. She is given in marriage to a dissolute Indian prince, Prince Chandra. While the festivities are in full swing, Chandra dies from a stroke of apoplexy. His body is put on the funeral pyre. At the period of this play, it was the practice among the people of India for the widow to throw herself on the fire in which her husband's body was burning. Janira is compelled in spite of herself to submit to this custom. Just before she is placed in the flames, Dickson and his servant see what is going on and rescue the girl after a fight. Dickson becomes infatuated with Janira and keeps her in his bungalow in disguise as a boy servant. Elsa, his sweetheart, arrives from England. Dickson soon feels a reviving of his old love for her. His attentions to Elsa trouble Janira, but she is faithful to him and will not admit to herself that the white man can do any wrong. Dickson is summoned before the English commissioner and the father of Janira accuses him of having kidnapped the girl. The deputy puts up a bold front. Then to settle the matter, soldiers are sent to Dickson's house to fetch the girl. They return in a short time with the message that they found on their arrival that the bungalow was in flames. After the structure had been destroyed, they saw in the embers a human body burned to such an extent that it was unrecognizable. Dickson reels and the commissioner hastens to support him. The father of the girl totters out of the office.
IMDB:tt0004955