A Corner in Wheat

Plot

A Corner in Wheat tells the story of a powerful Wall Street tycoon known as The Wheat King who, on a whim, decides to corner the world wheat market. His manipulation drives wheat prices to unprecedented heights, causing bread to become unaffordable for ordinary people. The film masterfully cross-cuts between three parallel stories: the luxurious life of the tycoon in his opulent office, the struggling wheat farmers in the fields, and the impoverished urban poor standing in bread lines. As the tycoon celebrates his financial victory with champagne and cigars, farmers are forced to abandon their wheat crops and urban residents riot over bread shortages. In a poetic twist of fate, the tycoon accidentally falls into an enormous grain elevator and suffocates in the very wheat that made him wealthy, while the farmers return to their fields and the poor finally receive bread. The film concludes with a powerful visual juxtaposition of the tycoon's lifeless body in the grain and the simple farmers harvesting their crop.

Historical Background

A Corner in Wheat was produced during a period of significant social and economic upheaval in the United States. The early 1900s saw the rise of powerful industrialists and financiers who controlled vast portions of the American economy, leading to growing concerns about monopolies and wealth inequality. The Panic of 1907 had recently exposed the dangers of market manipulation, and progressive reformers were calling for greater regulation of business practices. Wheat was particularly significant as it was a staple food whose price directly affected millions of Americans. The film emerged during the height of the Progressive Era, when social issues were increasingly being addressed through art and literature. It also coincided with the early development of film as a serious artistic medium, moving away from simple novelty acts toward more sophisticated storytelling. The film's critique of unchecked capitalism reflected growing public sentiment that would eventually lead to antitrust legislation and financial reforms under President Theodore Roosevelt and his successors.

Making Of

The production of 'A Corner in Wheat' was remarkably efficient even by 1909 standards. Griffith, working under contract for Biograph, had to produce multiple films each month. Despite these constraints, he managed to create a visually sophisticated and thematically ambitious work. The grain elevator sequence required special engineering - the crew built a wooden bin and filled it with real wheat, creating a platform system that could safely lower actor Frank Powell into the grain. The field scenes were shot on location in rural New Jersey, where Griffith insisted on using real farmers as extras to add authenticity. The studio scenes depicting the tycoon's luxury were filmed on Biograph's indoor sets in New York City. Griffith's innovative use of cross-cutting between these three distinct environments was considered groundbreaking and would influence filmmakers for decades. The entire production was completed in just two days of shooting, with minimal takes due to the expensive nature of film stock at the time.

Visual Style

The cinematography by G.W. Bitzer, Griffith's regular collaborator, was groundbreaking for its time. Bitzer employed innovative camera techniques including dynamic framing and strategic positioning to create visual contrasts between the different social environments. The wheat field scenes utilized natural lighting to create a pastoral, almost romantic vision of agricultural labor. The tycoon's office was shot with dramatic lighting to emphasize his power and isolation. The grain elevator sequence featured remarkable low-angle shots that emphasized the overwhelming scale of industrial agriculture. Bitzer's camera work in the bread line scenes used medium shots to humanize the suffering of the poor. The film's most innovative aspect was its use of cross-cutting between these visually distinct environments, creating a rhythmic editing pattern that emphasized the connections between different social classes. The cinematography helped establish the visual language that would define American cinema for decades.

Innovations

A Corner in Wheat was technically groundbreaking for 1909. Its most significant achievement was the sophisticated use of parallel editing to tell multiple stories simultaneously, a technique that was revolutionary at the time. The film demonstrated advanced understanding of cinematic time and space, cutting between different locations to create thematic connections. The grain elevator sequence required innovative set construction and camera work to safely film the dramatic death scene. The film's use of location shooting for the farming scenes was unusual for the period, when most filming still took place on studio sets. The production also experimented with different camera angles and movements to create visual variety and emphasize social contrasts. The film's pacing and rhythm, achieved through careful editing, showed a sophisticated understanding of cinematic storytelling that was years ahead of its time. These technical innovations would influence filmmaking practices throughout the silent era and beyond.

Music

As a silent film, A Corner in Wheat originally had no synchronized soundtrack. However, it would have been accompanied by live music during theatrical screenings. Typical accompaniment would have included a pianist or small orchestra playing popular classical pieces and original compositions. The film's dramatic structure suggested specific musical cues: pastoral music for the farming scenes, dramatic classical pieces for the tycoon's scenes, and somber music for the bread line sequences. Modern restorations have been accompanied by newly composed scores by silent film specialists. The 2010 restoration by the Museum of Modern Art featured an original score by composer Stephen Horne. Some contemporary screenings have used period-appropriate music compiled from 1909 sheet music collections. The absence of dialogue in the film makes the musical accompaniment particularly important for conveying emotion and enhancing the narrative impact.

Memorable Scenes

• The opening sequence showing wheat being harvested by hand, emphasizing the connection between labor and food
• The dramatic cross-cutting between the tycoon's luxurious office celebration and the bread lines of starving people
• The powerful final scene where the Wheat King falls into the grain elevator and is consumed by the wheat he commodified
• The sequence showing farmers abandoning their wheat fields because they cannot afford to harvest their own crops
• The shot of the Wheat King's body being discovered in the grain, covered in the very commodity that made him wealthy

What Critics Said

Contemporary critics in 1909 praised the film's ambition and technical innovation. The New York Dramatic Mirror called it 'a powerful and timely picture that shows what the moving picture can do in the way of social commentary.' The Moving Picture World noted Griffith's 'skillful handling of parallel action' and predicted it would 'set a new standard for dramatic pictures.' Modern critics have been even more effusive in their praise. Film historian Kevin Brownlow described it as 'one of the first truly American films' and 'a masterpiece of social commentary.' The New York Times in its retrospective review called it 'astonishingly modern in its editing and themes.' Many contemporary film scholars consider it Griffith's first great work, predating his more famous but controversial epics. The film is frequently cited in film studies courses as an early example of cinematic social criticism and sophisticated editing techniques.

What Audiences Thought

The film was well-received by audiences of 1909, who were impressed by its dramatic power and technical sophistication. Contemporary newspaper accounts reported that audiences responded particularly strongly to the contrast between the wealthy tycoon's lifestyle and the suffering of the poor. The grain elevator death scene was described as 'genuinely shocking' and 'deeply moving' by viewers of the time. The film's clear moral message resonated with working-class audiences who were experiencing the effects of economic inequality firsthand. Despite its serious themes, the film was commercially successful for Biograph, leading to increased demand for Griffith's socially conscious works. Modern audiences encountering the film through retrospectives and film festivals continue to be impressed by its technical mastery and timeless themes. The film's inclusion in the Library of Congress's National Film Registry has introduced it to new generations of viewers who often express surprise at how sophisticated and relevant a 1909 film can be.

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