Film vs Film
Select two cult films to compare side by side.
Sloth Synopsis
Eve Leslie is becoming indolent. The fortune she has inherited has made her unwilling to stir about any more than is necessary. Adam Moore, a member of the National Guard, is called out to help defend the country. Eve doesn't want him to go. She doesn't see any sense in his going to the front, especially since he will be away from her and will not be able to take part in a number of parties that have been arranged. Petulantly, she sits down to read. One after the other come before her the exciting stories of heroines of the past. Comes the story of Sally Wells who braved Indians and wild animals to preserve a claim for her family. Sally Wells is followed by Margaret Brent, whose home was captured by pirates, bold men who fought first against her, then for her. Next follows the thrilling tale of Molly Pitcher, in all the glory of the battle of Monmouth, in which she manned a cannon herself and turned the tide of battle against the British. Eve finishes reading. Inspired by the actions of these great women she conquers the sin of sloth, cheers Adam as he leaves with his regiment and follows him to the battlefield as a Red Cross nurse. There she is tested, as were the brave women she read about, and she proves as true as they had been.
The Cave Man Synopsis
Realizing the folly and superficiality of society, Madeline Mischief, in the spirit of a wager, claims she could choose at random any man from the streets and make of him in a very short time a leader of society. Her friends laugh at her, but she determines to prove her contention and places one-half of a $100 bill in an envelope with a note reading: "If the finder of this is a woman, give it to the nearest man; if a man, call at Room 1798, Clarion Hotel, at once, for the other half of enclosed bill." Hanlick Smagg, a burly coal-heaver, finds the envelope and, after some hesitation, goes into the fashionable apartment house, still carrying his shovel. Then follow many amusing Incidents of Hanlick's introduction to society as a sociologist, for, although Hanlick proves very tractable, he is like a bull in a china shop. However, a barber, haberdasher and the necessary accoutrements of a gentleman convert Smagg into a very passable type, but his temporary breaks are only put down as eccentricity, for is he not studying the life of the "submerged tenth"? When he passes upon a painting, all listen breathlessly, and under Madeline's coaching he soon becomes a social lion. But the inevitable follows. Hanlick falls in love with Madeline, and Dolly Van Dream, her friend, falls in love with him. But Hanlick breaks up threatened complications by reverting to the old type and going back to the "submerged tenth," and coal-heaving. Finally he gets a job at the steel works, turns out a valuable invention and gains a fortune. Now a genuine man of the world, he once more meets Madeline, who has never forgotten him, and the joyful outcome is that he elopes with her, without opposition in the old caveman fashion and romantic way.
"Sloth" holds a slight edge in general audience appreciation, but "The Cave Man" offers its own unique cult appeal.
Suggested Watch:
Sloth