The Rose Of Blood

Historically significant as Universal's first 100% all-talkie, the production suffered from having a tight shooting schedule. Carl Laemmle was only able to rent the Fox Movietone sound-on-film recording system for one week, having to be filmed at night while the Fox Studio was closed down for the evenings.

Helen MacDermott, daughter of the Factor at Bear Lake, has been carefully and religiously brought up by her widowed father. Bob Brandt, a dashing young gambler and adventurer, stops at Bear Lake in his wanderings, and having occasion to visit the post to buy supplies, he becomes acquainted with Helen. She quickly surrenders to his charms.

Walter Jason, a young man from the country, comes to the big city to find a position, but fails to do so. Oswald Trumble, so known to society, though in reality a master crook, strolls through the park, his mind busy with a scheme to steal the jewels of Mrs. Crosby Moore, a leader of society, whose forthcoming fancy-dress ball is the talk of the town. As Trumble approaches the bench where Jason is seated, the young man arises, shows exhaustion and then slowly continues on his way. Struck with Jason's clean-cut appearance, Trumble follows the young man, trails him to the river, and prevents him from committing suicide.

Vera, an heiress, while on a trip to the seaside, sees and admires Jack, an oyster dredger. She takes a fancy to his mode of living and through her lawyer proposes to change places and life with him for a time, placing all her property in trust with her lawyer. Jack finally agrees to the proposition and is installed in the wealthy girl's home

Lilly Meany has grown up amongst charlatans, including her father. She decides to become a faith healer, and her first victim, a rich hypochondriac woman, is easy enough to "cure." In fact, the woman's so happy with Lilly, now calling herself Vashti Dethic, that she recommends her to her nephew, Judah, Lord Asgarby, who has a crippled sister, Eve. The little girl gives Lilly so much innocent trust and love that she actually is able to walk for the first time ever.

Tricked into marriage with a villain, the woman, believing him dead, marries another, only to have the first husband reappear and cause her much worry.

Vere Herbert lives with her wicked mother, Lady Dolly (Marie Curtis), who is living in sin with Lord Jura (Glen White). Although Vere is in love with an opera singer, Lucien Correze (Harry Hilliard), Lady Dolly convinces her that marrying the dissolute Prince Zouroff (Walter Law) will save her father's honor. But the Prince makes her miserable and insists on having his mistress, Jeanne deSonnaz (Caille Torrez), live with them.

Camille is a courtesan in Paris. She falls deeply in love with a young man of promise, Armand Duval. When Armand's father begs her not to ruin his hopes of a career and position by marrying Armand, she acquiesces and leaves her lover. However, when poverty and terminal illness overwhelm her, Camille discovers that Armand has not lost his love for her.

Mary Lynde (Theda Bara) is an innocent girl who has grown up in New York's Greenwich Village. One of the artists there, Felix Benavente (Sidney Mason), uses her as model when he paints a portrait of the Madonna for a church. His friend Robert Sinclair (Hugh Thompson) corrupts Mary so that her father (Walter Law) casts her from his home. She goes to live with Sinclair in his mountain lodge, but after the birth of a child, he callously casts her aside. Subsequently, her baby dies and she sinks to the depths of despair.

Theda Bara does her usual vamp turn in this picture, but this time she's a vamp who turns out to have a heart of gold. Her character, Blanchette DuMonde, is known as "the wickedest woman in Paris," and because of this sordid reputation, she is not allowed to serve as a nurse during World War I. So she becomes an Apache dancer instead.

Leslie MacLeod (Kathryn Adams) comes to England from the U.S. so that she can settle financial affairs with Lord Glenayr (Jack Holt), whom she has never met. She encounters Duke Lanzana (Fred Malatesta), who sees her as a way to pay off his mounting debts. He captures her and then heads to a nearby cape to steal a buried treasure that actually should belong to the MacLeods.