Many of the conventions that have become commonplace in modern films and television programs hark back to early serials; and the “cloak” or “mantle” of invisibility is no exception. It is, in fact, the recurring motif in The Shielding Shadow (1916), a fifteen-part serial produced by Astra and distributed by the Pathé Exchange. An American/French collaboration, it was directed by cinema pioneer, the French-American film director, producer, screenwriter, and former stage actor Louis J. Gasnier, and American actor and director Donald MacKenzie. Gasnier and MacKenzie had first worked together in 1914 on The Perils of Pauline, the landmark serial starring Pearl White that had elevated the reputation of both men in the industry. After Perils’ release, Gasnier became vice-president at the American division of Pathé, a position he later resigned to establish Astra Films with George B. Seitz (though notably, even at Astra, Gasnier continued to distribute his films through Pathé). After Seitz’s departure, Astra Films became Louis J. Gasnier Productions, but the company produced only a handful of films before Gasnier was contracted to Budd Schulberg’s Preferred Pictures (and later Paramount), where his name was often featured above the title. MacKenzie’s star rose as well, though definitely not as high as Gasnier’s. He went on to direct several more serials, including The Carter Case, and to act, mostly in minor roles, into the early 1930s.

Based on a scenario by George Seitz (later novelized by Randall Parrish), The Shielding Shadow was directly inspired by another silent movie serial, Judex (1916), produced by Pathé’s competitor, the French film company Gaumont. The release of Judex (whose first episode was entitled “The Mysterious Shadow”) had been delayed because of World War One, so The Shielding Shadow arrived on American screens first. (The opposite was true in France, where The Shielding Shadow—known by its other title, Ravengar—appeared after Judex.) Both films are thought to have inspired the popular character of “The Shadow.”

After his ship is wrecked, Jerry crawls across the ocean floor, where he must battle for his life with a giant octopus. Upon reaching shore, he finds a bottle containing notes written by a scientist, which direct him to the location of an amazing treasure that affords unusual powers of invisibility. Meanwhile, Sebastian commits a murder and frames Jerry, who is convicted of the crime but later escapes the prison ship where he is being held. Believing Jerry to be dead, Leontine marries Sebastian in order to save her father from financial ruin, but she vows to be his wife in name only. When Sebastian tries to force himself on her, he is confronted by a mysterious shadow with burning eyes and ghostly white hands, who speaks to Leontine and urges her to remain true to Jerry.