Film vs Film
Select two cult films to compare side by side.
Scotland Yard Synopsis
During World War I, criminal Dakin Barrolles, fleeing a bank robbery gone awry, has a chance meeting with a rich, drunken banker and his wife. Fascinated by the kind of people he would ordinarily never get to meet, he steals a locket with the banker's picture. Later, in an attempt to elude the police, he joins the army and is sent to the front. Wounded in battle, his face is severely disfigured and a plastic surgeon, finding the locket with the banker's picture, assumes that is what Barrolles looks like and reshapes his face to that of the banker's (who, coincidentally, also joined the army and is now missing in action). After the war Barrolles, now with the banker's face, decides to pretend to be the banker in order to gain enough knowledge to rob the bank--and, as an additional perk, get the banker's beautiful wife.
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.
"Scotland Yard" holds a slight edge in general audience appreciation, but "The Great Shadow" offers its own unique cult appeal.
Suggested Watch:
Scotland YardBoth films share