Watch An Unsullied Shield

Ignoring his father's deathbed pleas to improve himself, the Duke's wastrel son continues his dissolute ways, borrowing money that he cannot repay. When he is threatened with scandal and exposure, he forges his mother's signature on a check. In a hallucinatory state, the portraits of three of his illustrious ancestors come to life and lecture him on family honor. The movie screen becomes his mind-screen (which is to say a subjective home movie). This confrontation with his ancestors from the other side of the grave proves a transforming moment.