Film vs Film
Select two cult films to compare side by side.
A Harp in Hock Synopsis
Isaac Abrams, a lonely ghetto pawnbroker, is disliked by most of his neighbors. The only exceptions are Nora Banks, the landlady's charming daughter, and Mrs. Shannon, a poor scrubwoman saving to bring her son Tommy over from Ireland. On the day the child arrives at Ellis Island, his mother is taken fatally ill, and Abrams is becomes his guardian. Tommy, who comes to love Abrams, is taught to care for the shop, barter with the customers, and study. When he beats Snipe Banks, the neighborhood toughie, Mrs. Banks vengefully reports Tommy to the authorities, who remove him to an orphanage and later to an Iowa family. Tommy escapes and returns to the pawnshop. When faced with another parting, Abrams plans to take him away. he is denounced by Mrs. Banks, precipitating a riot, but Dr. Mueller, Nora's suitor, arrives to straighten out matters and Abrams is permitted to adopt the boy.
The Great Shadow Synopsis
Jim McDonald, the foreman of a shipbuilding plant and head of the labor union, strives to combat the anarchistic propaganda being put forth by Klimoff, the leader of a Bolshevik gang whose goal is to disrupt the country with strikes and anarchy. Despite McDonald's efforts, a strike is called, resulting in chaos. McDonald's child is knocked down by runaway horses abandoned by their striking driver, and dies. Mob scenes take place in America, as well as in Russia. Eventually, the unrest is quelled with an armistice called between Capital and Labor for a year, during which time wages are to be increased to reflect the cost of living, and leaders are to work out a common plan for their mutual advantage. The strikers now realize that they have been pawns of the Bolsheviks and call off the strike, agreeing to the plan.
"A Harp in Hock" holds a slight edge in general audience appreciation, but "The Great Shadow" offers its own unique cult appeal.
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A Harp in HockBoth films share