This was the most boring of the shorts on the D.W. Griffith DVD set "Years of Discovery." I am not sure why it got higher grades here than some of the other shorts, which were FAR more entertaining. Are people listening to "the critics" about this film, rather than using their own judgment?
The trouble with "A Corner In Wheat" is that the characters seem rather superficial and one-dimensional to us right off the bat. No time is given to character development, only to the plot. A film, even a short film, has to have both to maintain the audience's interest. The plot was also depressing and anti-capitalistic, which didn't help matters. America IS a capitalist country, and one of the reasons why we are a strong world leader. Seems Griffith was experimenting a bit with socialist views here. I bet this short was a dud when it was first released.
The trouble with "A Corner In Wheat" is that the characters seem rather superficial and one-dimensional to us right off the bat. No time is given to character development, only to the plot. A film, even a short film, has to have both to maintain the audience's interest. The plot was also depressing and anti-capitalistic, which didn't help matters. America IS a capitalist country, and one of the reasons why we are a strong world leader. Seems Griffith was experimenting a bit with socialist views here. I bet this short was a dud when it was first released.