Best Action Movies of 1913

Race-car drivers pursue Mabel Normand, whose father has a clear favorite.

Protéa is the last film directed by Victorin-Hippolyte Jasset, one of the early film pioneers in France. The hero of this film is a female spy, an acrobatic Mata-Hari, played by his favorite actress, Josette Andriot, who wore a characteristic costume of a close-fitting black jersey, two years before Musidora achieved cult status with her similar appearance as Irma Vep. This final masterpiece reflects Jasset's popular style: rhythmic action, fantastic realism, rich visuals, an anarchistic philosophy, a disdain for psychology, and an attention to lighting that earned him the nickname “the Rembrandt of the cinema". Although Jasset died shortly after completion, the film had considerable success and Andriot went on to make four more films in the series with other directors.

A young, buxom farm maid overhears two cow-hands talking in the barn, and she’s convinced they’re about to rob her. She barricades herself in a room and calls the police. Her call wakes the chief, who rallies the constabulary and they sets off toward the farm, in steam-car and on foot. Meanwhile, the maid’s parents and their neighbors rush to save her armed with shotgun, pitchfork, and shovel. Everything points toward a showdown in the barn, where no one, including the police force, will be cowed.