Le spéculateur en grains

A Corner in Wheat is a little meditation on capitalism, derived from Frank Norris, weaving together narrative fragments linked by their relation to wheat. The film begins with farmers sowing grain and taking their meager harvest to market. Capitalist speculators engineer the "corner in wheat" of the title, establishing full control over the world's supply. We see, intercut with this coup and the main capitalist's ensuing celebrations, the effects on others: another speculator is ruined, the farmers return home empty-handed, the urban poor go hungry and begin to riot when bread becomes unaffordable. The riot is squelched, but the "Wheat King" meets with his just desserts, inadvertently buried under an avalanche of grain, while the farmers continue to toil.

7* (10* Rating System)

D. W. Griffith was still finding his feet as a film director when he made this early short for Biograph in 1909, but it's clear that he was already emerging as a leader among the pioneering directors in New York.

This is quite a macabre parable in which an unscrupulous tycoon suffers an ironic fate after cornering the world market in wheat and boosting his bank balance by $4,000,000 in the process. Many aspects of the film are still quite primitive by today's standards - particularly the fraught scene in the trading pit during which nearly everybody overacts outrageously so that the viewer doesn't know where to look.

The cross-cutting for which Griffith would become justly famous is in evidence here, but it's interesting that, instead of using it to heighten moments of tension or suspense, he uses successive shots to emphasise the contrasting lifestyles of the ruthless speculator who drunkenly toasts his good fortune at a banquet with his friends while the poor working masses suffer the economic fallout of his manipulation of the market.

A Corner In Wheat (1909) : Brief Review :

D W Griffith's parallels with social commentary on two opposite and inevitable corners of the society. The unavoidable fact of the society was, is and will be that, 'The Rich gets richer and The Poor gets even worse' and unfortunately the world doesn't seems to be bothered by the idea of changing this equation. D W Griffith, who has always showm sympathetic approach to the poor people in his film with one constant condition that the character has to have good and kind Nature, have used the same formula but it was far before he used it in his most popular films made years later. A Corner In Wheat is about an Alan unscrupulous and greedy capitalist speculator decides to corner the wheat market for his own profit, establishing complete control over the markets and destroys the lives of poor people. The film showcases two opposite and different corners of the society, the rich and the poor, dealing with different consequences of the same issue and at the same time. This idea of parallel narrative was loved by audience after 50s but who knew that Griffith did it almost 4 decades ago. Watch out for the scenes when he shows the rich people partying and wasting foods and drinks and on the side we see poor and hungry people in que for food and not getting it. Such a heartbreaking scene it was. And the last frame when the poor man is crying and seeding at the time, what a wonderful thing it was. Hats off to D W Griffith and his imaginative brain which was running far ahead of its time and unfortunately we didn't born in his era to experience his brilliance. Whoever is fan of the cinematic genius called Griffith just can't miss this Short flick. Don't take the rating too seriously as it is purely systematic because films made 10 decades ago just cannot be measured with modern strips. A Must See!

RATING - 7/10*

By - #samthebestest

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.

Early film of "social relevance" directed by D.W. Griffith. It's a little difficult to follow - apparently, Mr. Griffith is showing the contrast between the wealthy "Wheat King" (played by Frank Powell) and the poor "Farmer" (played by James Kirkwood). The farmer does the manual work, laboring in the fields. The wealth businessman reaps the profits, in luxury. In the film, Mr. Powell's character becomes more and more greedy, making the price of goods so high the poor farmers can't afford the goods they helped create. Of the supporting players, Henry B. Walthall is most impressive as Kirkwood's associate. Griffith mixes location and set nicely. Watch the wicked "Wheat King" meet a pitiful, ironic end.

****** A Corner in Wheat (12/13/09) D.W. Griffith ~ Frank Powell, James Kirkwood, Henry B. Walthall