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Directed by Robert Wiene, of Cabinet of Dr. Caligari fame, The Power of Darkness was based on a novel by Leo Tolstoy. The leading character is a Russian peasant who holds an indefinable sexual power over women. In the course of the film's 72 minutes (evidently chopped down from a much longer running time), the "hero" ruins one impressionable girl after another. He is finally beaten at his own game by a predatory female and turned over to the police. The cast of The Power of Darkness was comprised of members of the Moscow Art Theater.