A horrific train accident leaves a baby alone in the world, when a railway worker takes it in and raises the little girl as his own, alongside his own son, who was practically a baby, too. But, because they are never told they aren't blood relation, their relationship feels very awkward for them as they age, as they feel an attraction that is never said but is felt very much so. As the girl blossoms into a young lady, she has suitors who admire her and one in particular who proposes. From there on, it gets tragic with developments that make her marry him when she didn't really want to and the secret comes out about the brother and sister being not kin, making the son mad at the father. The father is blinded by way of an unfortunate accident, and that only exacerbates the fact that he is a drinker, who now only feels sorry for himself. The film may be well-regarded for its artistry and grandness, but to me it feels dated and seems to wallow in the misery of the lead characters too much with not enough action; they're only walking around and wailing, particularly the father and daughter. It amazes me that this four hour movie was actually much longer but was cut, as I felt it to be too long as it is. I admit the opening fade in was very moving with the shot of the father, but as the movie went from the 2-hour mark to the end, its tragedies come across rather surreal and the ending leaves the viewer with a weird What just happened?. Obviously I don't appreciate this work of art that others may love and defend.
Review of The Wheel
