James A. Marcus

A wanted Russian lieutenant becomes a masked vigilante seeking vengeance upon the man who stole his family's land, only to fall for his charming daughter. Vladimir Dubrouvsky, a lieutenant in the Russian army, catches the eye of Czarina Catherine II. He spurns her advances and flees, and she puts out a warrant for his arrest, dead or alive. Vladimir learns that his father's lands have been taken by the evil Kyrilla Troekouroff, and his father dies. He dons a black mask, and becomes the outlaw The Black Eagle. He enters the Troekouroff household disguised as a French instructor for Kyrilla's daughter Mascha. He is after vengeance, but instead falls in love with Mascha. —John Oswalt <jao@jao.com> When the horses of a coach with two ladies speed after a shot, the Czarina Catherine II sees the young Lieutenant Vladimir Dubrovsky rescuing the ladies. She invites Dubrovsky to have dinner with her, but he is sexually harassed by the czarina and flees from the palace. He receives a letter from his father telling that he had been evicted from his lands by the corrupt Kyrilla Troekouroff. Meanwhile the czarina issues an arrest warrant authorizing the arrest of Dubrovsky dead or alive. Dubrovsky heads to his home town, but his father dies and he promises revenge against Kyrilla. He wears a mask and is called "The Black Eagle", and leads a group of unsatisfied men to fight against Kyrilla, stealing from the riches to deliver to the poor. However, when he meets Kyrilla's daughter Miss Mascha Troekouroff, Dubrovsky falls in love with her. Dubrovsky needs to rethink and choose between "eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth" and his love for Mascha. —Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil After a dashing young Lieutenant in Czarina Catherine's Imperial Guard catches her eye, he is invited to join her for dinner. Vladimir Dubrovsky is honored by her invitation but when he rejects her advances, she accuses him of desertion and he goes on the run. He soon learns however that his father has lost the family estate to the crooked Kyrilla Troekouroff. Vladimir returns to home and takes on the persona of the Black Eagle, who protects the poor and the innocent. He also swears vengeance on Kyrilla and his entire family though he has fallen in love with Kyrilla's daughter Mascha. —garykmcd

When a nobleman murders his best friend, a lawyer becomes a revolutionary with his heart set on vengeance. A law student in 18th-century France becomes an outlaw French revolutionary when he decides to avenge the unjust killing of his friend. To get close to the aristocrat who has killed his friend, the student adopts the identity of Scaramouche the clown. —Steve Crook <steve@brainstorm.co.uk> During the reign of Louis XVI, France, in disarray, comes under the rule of an all-powerful nobility who rule the state under force. André-Louis Moreau, a Paris law student, has returned to his provincial hometown of Gavrillac, where he hopes to reconnect with his best friend, Philippe de Vilmorin, who plans to entering the priesthood, and Aline de Kercadiou, the niece of his godfather Quintin de Kercadiou, whom André has always loved. The Marquis de la Tour d'Azyr, a nobleman and expert swordsman who owns much land in the region, in a duel kills Philippe, who believed the noble class used their power to inflict hardship on the masses. Philippe, no swordsman, had no chance in the duel. as not ever being a swordsman. To avenge Philippe's death in what he believes to be a cowardly act by the Marquis, André decides to take up Philippe's gospel of freedom, much of it against the Marquis specifically. André's intentions are against the advice of his godfather, who wants to see a union between the Marquis and Aline so that she will gain that noble title; she might be so inclined despite her feelings for André. In rallying the masses and in his accusations against the Marquis, André becomes an enemy of the state, so he goes into hiding, most specifically joining a second-rate theater troupe, none of whom know who he is. However, with André's input, the troupe becomes well-respected, its most popular show being "Scaramouche," a masked André portraying the title clown. Despite enjoying a new comfortable life with the troupe, including having a place in heart for the leader's daughter Climène Binet, André, based partly on circumstances of the country, never has either Aline or the Marquis far from his mind or heart. He still seeks revenge, if not for Philippe, then for the good of the general populace of France. —Huggo

Dave Henderson, an orphan who has become the beneficiary of a rich man's will, falls in with race-track crooks Martin Tydeman and Bokky Sharvan who bilk him out of his $100,000 inheritance. In retaliation, Dave steals the money from Tydeman's safe, but is caught and sentenced to five years in jail. In prison, Dave becomes friendly with Millman, who is about to be released, and reveals the money's hiding place to him, arranging to rendezvous at the end of Dave's term. Once released, Dave is hounded by members of Tydeman's gang as well as the police, who are waiting for him to retrieve his bounty. While taking refuge at the house of Capriano, an old bomb maker, Dave falls in love with the old man's daughter Teresa. However, Capriano sets a trap for Dave, who awakens in a drugged state to find the $100,000 missing. With the help of Millman and Teresa, Dave recovers the money, turns it over to the police and resolves to go straight. —AFI