Flicker Alley and San Francisco Film Preserve proudly present the return of Irvin V. Willat’s Behind the Door (1919), paired for the first time with his Below the Surface (1920), both newly restored by the SFSFF and available in their most complete versions. Flicker Alley’s initial publication of Behind the Door was honored as Best Blu-ray/DVD disc at Il Cinema Ritrovato in 2018.

Legendary producer Thomas H. Ince and director Irvin V. Willat made Behind the Door —“the most outspoken of all the vengeance films” according to film historian Kevin Brownlow—during the period of World War I-inspired American patriotism.

Hobart Bosworth stars as Oscar Krug, a working-class American, who is persecuted for his German ancestry after war is declared. Driven by patriotism, Krug enlists and goes to sea. However, tragedy strikes when his wife (Jane Novak) sneaks aboard his ship and is captured following a German U-boat attack. Krug’s single-minded quest for vengeance against the sadistic German submarine commander (played with villainous fervor by Wallace Beery) leads to the film’s shocking and brutal climax.

Willat then reteamed with Bosworth the following year with Below the Surface, setting the star as deep sea diver Martin Flint who, along with his son, Paul (Lloyd Hughes), become heroes after saving the lives of a downed submarine crew. Unfortunately, their fame draws the attention of George Webb’s James Arnold, who enlists Paul in a deadly scheme involving sinking ships, lost treasure, and the love of Grace Darmond's Edna Gordon.

These newly restored editions represent the most complete versions of these films available, thanks to the San Francisco Silent Film Festival working in partnership with the Library of Congress and Gosfilmofond of Russia. Each film features a new score by Stephen Horne.

BONUS MATERIALS INCLUDE:

  • Russian version of Behind the Door - The re-edited and re-titled version of the film that was distributed in Russia, with musical accompaniment by Stephen Horne
  • Outtakes from Behind the Door - Featuring music composed and performed by Stephen Horne
  • “Restoring Irvin Willat’s Behind the Door” - A behind-the-scenes look at the restoration
  • “Kevin Brownlow Spotlights Irvin Willat” - Film historian and Honorary Academy Award® winner Kevin Brownlow spotlights director Irvin Willat
  • Slideshow Gallery - Featuring stills and promotional material from Behind the Door and Below the Surface
  • Printed Essays - Featuring writing on both films by historians Jay Weissburg and Scott Simmon
  • English SDH Subtitles
  • Blu-ray Authoring by David Mackenzie of Fidelity In Motion
  • All Region Encoding (A,B,C)