Kings of the Forest (1912)
John Kruge and his good wife are quaint, old-fashioned Boers, living in comfort on an isolated farm in the Transvaal wilderness. The one joy of their life is their beautiful daughter, Sona, Sona has grown up to maturity, and her father has selected a husband for her, a staunch, big-hearted Boer, rich in the world's goods, but many years the senior of Sona, John Vogel by name, and an old friend of the family. The young lady has a preference of her own in the person of Fritz Kransmitt, Kruge's man of all work, a stalwart young fellow who loves Sona devotedly. John Vogel, upon seeing with his own eyes how things stand, gives way to his rival, and Fritz and Sona are soon married. The young couple leave the parental roof and make a home of their own in the distant jungle. Wild animals abound in this vicinity, and weapons are carried at all times. Sona and Fritz prosper and time slips on. A baby girl is born to the young couple and Sona names the child Iona. Three or four years more elapse, during which time many narrow escapes from death are recorded by both Sona and Fritz, whose lives are in constant peril from the wild jungle beasts. John Vogel's business calls him to the neighborhood, and he makes his first call on his former friends. Fritz's jealous nature fails to grasp the significance of the fatherly kiss that John gives to Sona, and in a fit of unreasoning madness, he accuses Sona of infidelity. He will listen to no explanation, and leaves the home John, the peacemaker, goes after him and points out to him his folly. Fritz, however, is too ashamed to return to his home until nightfall. When they arrive at the house, they find that Sona has taken little Iona and her effects and departed in a covered wagon. They search high and low along the trail and after hard and unceasing travel they come upon Sona's wagon, wrecked by the wild beasts. Later they find Sona, who is delirious with grief over the loss of the baby, whom she imagines had been devoured by lions while she was attempting to kill a man-eater that had stolen her calf. The men start out to hunt for the child, but find no trace of her. After a despairing search they start to pack up things preparatory to going home. Just as they are about to leave, little Iona comes upon the scene from the depths of a trunk, in which she had hidden during the lions' attack on the wagon. The little family is reunited and the mother's life and mind are saved.
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| Filmmakers | Role |
|---|---|
| Colin Campbell | Director |
| Otto Breitkreutz | Writer |
| Colin Campbell | Writer |
| William Nicholas Selig | Producer |
| Cast | Role |
|---|---|
| Tom Santschi | |
| Betty Harte | |
| Frank Richardson | |
| Anna Dodge |
