The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present three early silent features from Universal Pictures, all fully restored as part of the studio’s ongoing restoration program.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (dir. Stuart Paton, 1916) – Allen Holubar stars as the domineering Captain Nemo, who rescues the passengers of an American naval vessel after ramming them with his iron-clad, steampunk submarine, The Nautilus. Incorporating material from Verne’s Mysterious Island, the film also follows the adventures of a group of Civil War soldiers whose hot-air balloon crash lands on an exotic island, where they encounter the untamed “Child of Nature” (Jane Gail).

The Calgary Stampede (dir. Herbert Blaché, 1925) – Real life rodeo champion Hoot Gibson plays Dan Malloy, an expert rider who wins the big one, the Calgary Stampede. When the father of his new French-Canadian girlfriend (Virginia Browne Faire) turns up dead, Malloy is the only suspect!

What Happened to Jones? (dir. William A. Seiter, 1926) – Reginald Denny plays a wealthy young bachelor on the night before his wedding. He is convinced to attend a poker party which is promptly raided, sending him on the run in a series of increasingly hilarious disguises.