Film vs Film
Select two cult films to compare side by side.
The Love Net Synopsis
Little Patty Barnes lives with her grandfather, Captain Amos Barnes, in a rickety shack on the New England coast. The wealthy Mrs. Gaythorne, who wishes to adopt Patty, instructs James Henley to secure the mortgage on the shack, and when Amos, now homeless and penniless, departs for the poor farm, Patty is forced to live with the cruel old woman. At the poor farm, Amos meets his two boyhood companions: Eben Cobb, who runs the establishment; and John Harding, a millionaire who is posing as a poverty-stricken invalid to escape his greedy relatives. Having learned that his old friends are as good-hearted and loyal as he remembered them, John leaves Eben a large check and asks Patty to meet him near his yacht for a "pirate cruise." Intending to drown himself, Amos sets sail in his boat and, unaware that Patty is on board, pulls the plugs. The boat is about to go under when John rescues the two and takes them aboard his yacht to a life of comfort and happiness.
The Writing on the Wall Synopsis
Irving Lawrence, prominent and wealthy, owns a large number of tenements in the poor section of the city which are among the city's most objectionable dwelling places. His wife, Barbara, and his brother. Schuyler, are interested in social uplift, but are unable to secure Irving's co-operation for the betterment of conditions. Irving's disregard for others and his blind selfishness are also displayed in his daily life and affairs with other women. When Payne, Barbara's brother, arrives with his bride Muriel, it evolves, after a painful meeting, that Muriel is one of the victims of Irving's disregard for others, in the past. Realizing Muriel will keep the past a secret from her adoring husband, at all costs, Irving torments the girl unmercifully. Barbara, meanwhile, has learned that her husband's mode of living is not all it should be, and misunderstanding a situation between Irving and Muriel, openly accuses them. Then the truth comes out and Muriel proves her innocence in the past. Irving, enraged, trumps up a countercharge of scandal between Barbara and Schuyler. An estrangement at once follows between all concerned. At this time a terrible fire breaks out in Irving's tenements, in which Barbara is holding a party for the slum children, which little Harry is attending. All rush to the scene, and in his mad attempt to rescue Harry Irving needlessly sacrifices his life, for the boy had already been carried out in safety. His death is a just atonement for the lives lost when his rusty old fire escapes crumpled up under the weight of the mad rush of tenants and crashed to the ground. Barbara effects a reunion between Payne and Muriel, and a brighter future seems in store for herself and Schuyler.
"The Love Net" holds a slight edge in general audience appreciation, but "The Writing on the Wall" offers its own unique cult appeal.
Suggested Watch:
The Love Net