6.6/10
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A Corner in Wheat (1909)

G | | Short, Crime, Drama | 13 December 1909 (USA)
A Corner in Wheat Poster
An unscrupulous and greedy capitalist speculator decides to corner the wheat market for his own profit, establishing complete control over the markets.

Director:

D.W. Griffith

Stars:

Frank Powell, Grace Henderson, James Kirkwood | See full cast & crew »
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Cast

Cast overview:
Frank Powell ... The Wheat King
Grace Henderson Grace Henderson ... The Wheat King's Wife
James Kirkwood ... The Farmer
Linda Arvidson ... The Farmer's Wife
W. Chrystie Miller ... The Farmer's Father
Gladys Egan ... The Farmer's Little Daughter
Henry B. Walthall ... The Wheat King's Assistant
See full cast »
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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. Written by James Meek <james@oz.net>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

market | wheat | farmer | bread | loaf of bread | See All (23) »

Genres:

Short | Crime | Drama

Certificate:

G | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

Add content advisory for parents »
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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 December 1909 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

A gabonatőzsde spekulánsai See more »

Filming Locations:

Biograph Studio, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Biograph Company See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was selected to the National Film Registry, Library of Congress, in 1994. See more »

Goofs

When the Wheat King reads the letter regarding his increase in wealth, he is wearing gloves. After he falls into the wheat pit, there is an un-gloved hand reaching for the heavens; however, when they pull him out, he is once again wearing gloves. See more »

Connections

Featured in Sosialismi (2014) See more »

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User Reviews

Griffith
29 February 2008 | by Michael_Elliott – See all my reviews

Corner in Wheat, A (1909)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

One of D.W. Griffith's best shorts. This one deals with an evil tycoon who makes the price of wheat go up for his own profit but by doing this is causes the poor to suffer. Here's another film where Griffith takes out his anger of being poor and he hits all the right notes making this a high energy and downright dirty tale. The way Griffith shows the poor is wonderfully done and the ending is great as well. Of historical importance, this was the first film to get reviewed in a NY newspaper, which also makes the historians believe that this was the first film reviewed anywhere in the world. Films were discussed in papers before this one but this was the first to actually get its own review.
5 of 7 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
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