A Corner in Wheat (1909)

A greedy tycoon decides, on a whim, to corner the world market in wheat. This doubles the price of bread, forcing the grain's producers into charity lines and further into poverty. The film... See full summary »

Director:

D.W. Griffith

Writers:

D.W. Griffith, Frank Norris (novel),

Stars:

Frank Powell, Grace Henderson, James Kirkwood

1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
Frank Powell	...	The Wheat King
Grace Henderson	...	The Wheat King's Wife
James Kirkwood	...	Farmer
Linda Arvidson	...	Farmer's Wife
W. Chrystie Miller	...	Farmer's Father
Gladys Egan	...	Farmer's Little Daughter
Henry B. Walthall	...	Wheat King's Assistant
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kate Bruce	...	In Store
William J. Butler	...	Ruined Wheat Trader
Charles Craig	...	On the Floor of the Exchange / Banquet Invitee
Edward Dillon
Frank Evans	...	On the Floor of the Exchange / Banquet Invitee / Grain Elevator Attendant
Edith Haldeman	...	In Store
Robert Harron	...	On the Floor of the Exchange
Ruth Hart	...	In Store

Storyline

A greedy tycoon decides, on a whim, to corner the world market in wheat. This doubles the price of bread, forcing the grain's producers into charity lines and further into poverty. The film continues to contrast the ironic differences between the lives of those who work to grow the wheat and the life of the man who dabbles in its sale for profit.

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Plot Keywords:

farm | class struggle | morality | social issues | based on novel

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Genres:

Short | Drama

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 December 1909 (USA)

Also Known As:

A gabonatőzsde spekulánsai

Filming Locations:

Biograph Studio, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Biograph Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

14 min 14 min

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the first films that Griffith used the technique of parallel editing on (a technique he pioneered). It was used to create the effects in the wheat suffocating scene.

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Connections

Featured in The Nostalgia Critic: To Boldly Flee: Part VII (2012)

User Reviews

Significant early propaganda

Populist/Progressive propaganda directed by D. W. Griffith about a wealthy commodities speculator who is indifferent to the suffering caused by the price distortions following his monopolization of wheat. Comments of the other reviewers are a bit harsh, its only a 14-minute film so it can only do so much in the way of character development or plot. While it is creepy to see Griffith outflank later Communist propaganda to the left, you still have to admire the cinematic achievement. Griffith is using a comparative editing technique generally attributed to Eisenstein, but sixteen years before Eisenstein's first film, so the short is a must-see for cinema students for that reason alone. For the rest of us, it is an engaging fourteen minutes that delivers powerful images, notwithstanding its questionable footing in economic theory.