The Man Who Stayed at Home (1915 film)

The Man Who Stayed at Home is a British silent film released in 1915, directed by Cecil Hepworth, and based on the popular play of the same name by Lechmere Worrall and J. E. Harold Terry. The film is a wartime melodrama set in England during World War I.

The plot revolves around Christopher Brent, a seemingly unassuming man who chooses to remain at home rather than enlist in the military. He is initially viewed with suspicion and even contempt by his community, who believe him to be a coward. However, Brent is secretly working as a counter-intelligence agent for the British government.

He uses his perceived indolence as a cover to observe and gather information on a group of German spies who are using a local boarding house as their base of operations. Brent's intelligence work leads to the exposure and capture of the spies, proving his patriotism and earning the respect of his neighbors. The film features themes of mistaken identity, wartime paranoia, and the importance of unconventional patriotism. It was a popular propaganda piece during the war, designed to encourage vigilance and support for the war effort, while also portraying German characters as inherently deceitful. The success of the play and film demonstrates the public's appetite for narratives that reinforced national identity and wartime narratives.