A Corner in Wheat
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| A Corner in Wheat | |
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| Directed by | D. W. Griffith |
| Written by | Frank Norris (book) |
| Starring | Frank Powell Grace Henderson James Kirkwood Linda Arvidson W. C. Miller Gladys Egan H. B. Walthall Blanche Sweet |
| Cinematography | G. W. Bitzer |
| Distributed by | American Mutoscope and Biograph Company |
Release date |
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Running time | approx. 15 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent film |
A Corner in Wheat[1] is a 1909 American short silent film which tells of a greedy tycoon who tries to corner the world market in wheat, destroying the lives of the people who can no longer afford to buy bread. It was directed by D. W. Griffith and adapted by Griffith and Frank E. Woods from a novel and a short story by Frank Norris, titled The Pit and A Deal in Wheat.
Intercutting (cross-cutting) between still tableaux of the poor in the bread line and the lavish, active parties of the wealthy speculator somewhat anticipates the collision montage which became a hallmark of the politically charged Soviet cinema a decade or so later.
In 1994, A Corner in Wheat was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[2][3]
The film was also released on 8mm in the 1960s.
Cast[edit]
- Frank Powell as The wheat king
- James Kirkwood as The poor farmer
- Linda Arvidson as The poor farmer's wife
- Gladys Egan as The poor farmer's daughter
- Henry B. Walthall as The wheat king's assistant
- Grace Henderson as The wheat king's wife
- W. Chrystie Miller as The poor farmer's father
Release[edit]
The film was released on December 13, 1909. Because of an upsurge in political populism, audiences reacted to the film positively. Before A Corner in Wheat, Griffith avoided making political statements in his work. After the film's success, he began to make bolder statements about society and politics, such as famously championing white supremacy in The Birth of a Nation (1915).[4]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Woods, Frank E., Writing, G. W Bitzer, Frank E Powell, Grace Henderson, James Kirkwood, Linda Arvidson, W. Christy Miller, et al. A Corner in Wheat. United States: Biograph, 1909. Video. https://www.loc.gov/item/2012600307/
- ^ "25 Films Added to National Registry". The New York Times. 1994-11-15. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
- ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
- ^ Eagan, Daniel (2010). America's film legacy: the authoritative guide to the landmark movies in the National Film Registry. National Film Preservation Board (U.S.). New York: Continuum. p. 20. ISBN 9781441116475. OCLC 676697377.
External links[edit]
Media related to A Corner in Wheat at Wikimedia Commons
The full text of A Corner in Wheat at Wikisource- A Corner in Wheat essay by Daniel Eagan at the National Film Registry
- A Corner in Wheat at the Library of Congress
- A Corner in Wheat at IMDb
- A Corner in Wheat on YouTube
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