Film vs Film
Select two cult films to compare side by side.
Klondike Synopsis
Dr. Robert Cromwell performs a delicate operation that has never been done before, and the patient dies. He is charged with malpractice and manslaughter and his trial is national news, but the jury acquits him. But the court of public opinion is still against him, and the medical board will meet to decide whether or not to take his medical license away. Before they do, amateur pilot Cromwell decides to join his friend, WWI Ace Donald Evans, on a flight to Alaska looking for a shorter route to Japan by following the Aleutian Islands. They crash in Alaska and Evans is killed, but Cromwell is rescued by fur trapper Tom Ross. He takes Cromwell to Armstrong's Trading Post, where he is nursed back to health by Klondike, a girl who works for Armstrong and was engaged to marry Armstrong's son Jim, who is now suffering from the same disease that Cromwell's last patient had. Mark talks Cromwell into performing the same operation, and this time it's a success--or would have been if Jim hadn't decided to fake it being a failure.
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.
"Klondike" holds a slight edge in general audience appreciation, but "The Great Shadow" offers its own unique cult appeal.
Suggested Watch:
KlondikeBoth films share