A Corner in Wheat
| A Corner in Wheat | |
|---|---|
The dead wheat king at the grain elevator | |
| Directed by | D. W. Griffith |
| Written by | Frank Norris (book) |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | G. W. Bitzer |
| Distributed by | American Mutoscope and Biograph Company |
Release date |
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Running time | approx. 15 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
A Corner in Wheat is a 1909 American short silent film which tells of a greedy tycoon who tries to Cornering the 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". Griffith may have had a real-life inspiration: six months earlier, James A. Patten had actually cornered the market in wheat, and in some cities, the price of bread doubled from five cents to ten, just as in the movie.
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".