This is a typical-looking Biograph social piece, on the lines of D.W. Griffith's A CORNER IN WHEAT and ONE IS BUSINESS THE OTHER CRIME. Griffith made his pieces in this vein morally ambiguous, preferring to raise questions without coming up with answers in which he himself had little faith. Christy Cabanne takes a much more melodramatic position: the rich *are* evil, the rich *are* hypocritical and the poor and downtrodden will suffer at their hands.
Which is a superior line to take? I admire Griffith's ability to tread that narrow line, to excite questions that are still unanswered -- but for pure story telling, Cabanne's methods are better, particularly given that Biograph's audience was poor and urban -- just the sort that feels oppressed by the rich. And while he only has a few of Griffith's best actors -- Alfred Paget, Bobby Harron and Donald Crisp in particular -- it was a pleasure to recognize an improbably young Alan Hale. He was 21 when this film was released.
Which is a superior line to take? I admire Griffith's ability to tread that narrow line, to excite questions that are still unanswered -- but for pure story telling, Cabanne's methods are better, particularly given that Biograph's audience was poor and urban -- just the sort that feels oppressed by the rich. And while he only has a few of Griffith's best actors -- Alfred Paget, Bobby Harron and Donald Crisp in particular -- it was a pleasure to recognize an improbably young Alan Hale. He was 21 when this film was released.