A Corner in Wheat is a 1909 American short silent film which tells of a greedy tycoon who tries to corner the world market on 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. Intercutting (cross-cutting) between still tableaux of the poor in the bread line and the lavish, active parties of the wealthy speculator somewhat anticipates the collision montage which became a hallmark of the politically charged Soviet cinema a decade or so later. 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". The film was also released on 8mm in the 1960s. Cast Frank Powell as The wheat king James Kirkwood as The poor farmer Linda Arvidson as The poor farmer's wife Gladys Egan as The poor farmer's daughter Henry B. Walthall as The wheat king's assistant Grace Henderson as The wheat king's wife W. Chrystie Miller as The poor farmer's father Release The film was released on December 13, 1909. Because of an upsurge in political populism, audience reacted to the film positively. Before A Corner in Wheat, Griffith avoided making political statements in his film. After the film's success, he began to make bolder statements about society and politics, such as famously championing white supremacy in The Birth of a Nation (1915). See also D. W. Griffith filmography Blanche Sweet filmography References External links A Corner in Wheat essay by Daniel Eagan at the National Film Registry A Corner in Wheat at the Library of Congress A Corner in Wheat on YouTube 1909 films 1909 drama films American silent short films American black-and-white films Films based on American novels Films based on works by Frank Norris Films directed by D. W. Griffith Biograph Company films United States National Film Registry films 1909 short films Silent American drama films Articles containing video clips Films with screenplays by Frank E. Woods Surviving American silent films 1900s American films