The Dead Soul - Production & Contact Info

The Dead Soul (1915)
Short | Short, Drama

The Dead Soul (1915)

Short | Short, Drama

The crew of the barque commanded by the brutal Captain Red Carson are getting ready for a voyage to Algeria. Two of the sailors see the rats leaving the ship, and taking this as a bad omen, desert. Carson decides to shanghai two men. He ...See moreThe crew of the barque commanded by the brutal Captain Red Carson are getting ready for a voyage to Algeria. Two of the sailors see the rats leaving the ship, and taking this as a bad omen, desert. Carson decides to shanghai two men. He corrals one drunken sailor and looking for another man finds the Rev. Paul Stoddard administering to a dying seaman. He decides to shanghai the minister, too, and tells Stoddard that a sailor on board his ship needs a minister. Stoddard follows the captain. When he asks for the sick man he is thrust down the hatchway and the order is given to sail. A few hours later Stoddard is admitted above and told to go to work. Later he sees Carson maltreating a cabin boy and intervenes. The captain turns his fury on the minister, knocks him down and orders the mate to throw the "swine" in the forecastle. There Stoddard refers to his Bible and finds a passage reminding him that it is his duty to save souls. Next day he shows Carson the Bible passage "that whatsoever a man soweth that also shall he reap." Carson again strikes the minister and in doing so falls over a rope and injures his leg, and it seems like a judgment. During the whole voyage Stoddard is treated with extreme brutality but works earnestly for the reformation of the cruel captain. In Algeria a beautiful maid, Zulieka, has been abducted and sold to a slave dealer. She is put up for sale in the slave market, and Carson buys her and drags her off to the ship. Stoddard determines to save her. His opportunity comes when Carson is called from his cabin to quell a general fight among the crew. Stoddard unlocks the cabin door and leads Zulieka to the rail and the girl's rescue is soon effected by Hassan, her lover. The disturbance quelled, Carson discovers Zulieka's escape and is furious. He knows Stoddard has a hand in the affair and strikes him a terrible blow. The minister reels against the medicine chest, it falls with him and all of the bottles are broken. Bubonic plague breaks out upon the ship and the serum is all lost, and Carson realizes that there is a divine justice. The frightened sailors leave, and Carson is beaten when he attempts to prevent them. Stoddard is invited to come along but he declares that his duty is to remain with the dying men on board. Carson and Stoddard are both stricken and the minister discovers a single dose of the anti-plague serum. He rushes on deck to give it to Carson. The captain's dead soul is resurrected; he hands the syringe to Stoddard, saying, "Take it, you are the better man," then he collapses. Stoddard injects the serum in the unconscious man's arm and smiles peacefully as he opens his Bible. He can die happy knowing that his mission has been accomplished. Carson comes to and finds Stoddard dead beside him. He opens the Bible and is confronted by the words, "Greater love hath no man than this that he lay down his life for his friend." He murmurs his first prayer, and rises to hail a passing vessel. Written by Moving Picture World synopsis See less

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Cast	+ Add Cast
7 cast members

Name	Known for
George Routh The Ship's Captain The Ship's Captain See fewer	While the Children Slept (1913)
Lee Shumway The Minister of the Gospel (as L.C. Shumway) The Minister of the Gospel (as L.C. Shumway) See fewer	Go-Get-'Em, Haines (1936)
Eleanor Blevins The Algerian Girl The Algerian Girl See fewer	A Friend in Need (II) (1914)
Melvin Mayo Actor Actor See fewer	The Death Warrant (1914)
Adelaide Bronti Actress Actress See fewer	Saved from the Harem (1915)
Riccardo Espino Actor Actor See fewer	The Red Virgin (1915)
Julian La Mothe Actor Actor See fewer	Saved from the Harem (1915)