A Corner in Wheat
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A Corner in Wheat<ref>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/</ref> 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".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
See also
[edit]References
[edit]External links
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- A Corner in Wheat essay by Daniel Eagan at the National Film Registry
- A Corner in Wheat at the Library of Congress
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- A Corner in Wheat on YouTube
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- Pages with broken file links
- 1909 films
- 1909 drama films
- 1900s American films
- 1900s English-language films
- American black-and-white films
- Films based on American novels
- Films based on works by Frank Norris
- Short films directed by D. W. Griffith
- Biograph Company films
- United States National Film Registry films
- 1909 short films
- Silent American drama short films
- Articles containing video clips
- Films with screenplays by Frank E. Woods
- Surviving American silent films
- Wheat in culture
- English-language drama short films