Film vs Film
Select two cult films to compare side by side.
The Greatest Love of All Synopsis
Joe, a poor Italian iceman, saves enough money both to furnish a basement apartment in New York and to arrange passage to America from the old country for his mother. Joe is soon engaged to Trina, and Joe's mother secretly finds work doing laundry in the home of District Attorney Kelland, in order to help them save enough to be married. When a diamond bracelet belonging to Mrs. Kelland disappears, Joe's mother finds it in the dirty linen, but, before she can return it, she is seen with it and arrested as a thief. She is tried, convicted, and sentenced to three years in jail. Joe is driven wild with anxiety and joins in a plot to kill the D. A. by putting high explosives in his golf ball. Joe relents and saves the D. A. when Trina proves that the Kellands' daughter was responsible for putting the bracelet in the wash. Joe's mother is released from jail, and she and the young lovers find happiness in a little home in the country.
Man's Plaything Synopsis
While working as a flower girl in Devlin Maddox's nightclub, Nellie Vaughan meets wealthy young Pelton Van Teel and falls in love. Maddox, desirous of using Nellie to blackmail Van Teel, spreads a rumor that she is his mistress. This makes Nellie uncomfortable, and she demands that Van Teel marry her immediately, to which he agrees. Meanwhile, Van Teel has been losing money gambling to Maddox, who threatens to break up the marriage by producing a worthless check that the young husband has written. Venturing to Maddox's apartment for a showdown, Nellie pulls a gun and demands the check, accidentally shooting Maddox when he throws a lamp at her. Maddox plans to charge Nellie with assault, but when the police arrive, his butler, actually a detective employed by the elder Van Teel, exposes Maddox, who is then arrested, clearing the path for the couple's happiness.
"The Greatest Love of All" holds a slight edge in general audience appreciation, but "Man's Plaything" offers its own unique cult appeal.
Suggested Watch:
The Greatest Love of AllBoth films share