Notable as being among D.W. Griffith’s earliest attempts to blend cinema and politics, the 1909 short film “A Corner in Wheat” depicted the rise of the “Wheat King,” a speculator who manages to corner the commodity market on wheat. His success brings him great wealth that is spent on opulent entertainment for his friends, while the farmers who grow the wheat are stuck in hardscrabble lives and the lower classes who cannot afford the price gouging by the Wheat King – the cost of bread loaves is hiked from five to ten cents, forcing many to go hungry. However, the triumph of his business ruthlessness occurs moments before a freak accident where he crushed to death in a grain silo.
With “A Corner in Wheat,” Griffith borrows elements from the populist writings of Frank Morris (albeit without screen credit) in making his screen statement about the gap between the greedy haves and the hapless have-nots. At this point in his career, the filmmaker showed his developing storytelling skills in “A Corner in Wheat” when scenes crosscut between the Wheat King’s ostentatious display of wealth during an extravagant dinner party and the depressed poor standing in a long line for bread fund handouts.
Unfortunately, much of the film is trapped in the early silent movie protocol of static shots, theatrical emoting, and obvious painted backdrops. And at 13 minutes, the film is far too brief to stir a sociopolitical debate on class warfare that Griffith obviously sought to create.