The Half Breed (1916)

The illegitimate son of a white man (Sam De Grasse) who abandoned his Indian mother, a "half breed" (Douglas Fairbanks) is ostracized by white society because of his race. Directed by the prolific Allan Dwan (SLIGHTLY SCARLET), this is a rather daring (for its day) look at racism toward Native Americans by the Caucasian citizens of a Northern California town. The film exposes the hypocrisy of supposed do gooder Christians like the pastor (Frank Brownlee) who preaches tolerance while aghast when his daughter (Jewel Carmen) shows a possible romantic interest in an Indian. The daughter is no better as she teases the bi-racial protagonist with their "forbidden" relationship in secret while having no real romantic intentions toward him. The film's other woman, a fiery Mexican (Alma Rubens) doesn't take crap from any man is a much worthier romantic interest than the coquettish kitten. By the film's end, the "half breed" and the Latina are still societal outcasts but have been shown to be morally superior to their exploitative Caucasian counterparts. With Tom Wilson and George Beranger.