Film vs Film
Select two cult films to compare side by side.
The Marriage Speculation Synopsis
Old Man Cliday has worked for many years in a pickle factory and has saved $10,000 which he wishes to invest to assure him compensation for the rest of his life. He hits upon the scheme of transforming an attractive young girl into a cultured woman and she in turn is to marry a wealthy man who will see that Cliday is taken care of in his old age. He makes the proposition to Clara Wilton, a candy store clerk and she accepts, although it wrenches her heart to give up her sweetheart Billy Perkins, an unambitious grocery clerk. In two years, Clara blossoms forth into a polished young woman, having had the best training that finishing schools could provide. Cliday takes her to a fashionable resort where she is surrounded by rich young suitors. Clara does not love any of them, but consents to marry one as her end of the bargain. She is preparing for the ceremony when Billy arrives disguised as a count and warns Clara that her intended is an impostor. As he points an accusing finger at the impostor, one of the spectators notices a ring on his finger and declares him to be the heir to a British fortune. Thus Clara is able to marry the man she loves while also fulfilling her part of the bargain.
An Affair of Three Nations Synopsis
Ashton-Kirk, a wealthy young detective who delights in solving mysteries involving ancient tablets, forgotten books, documents and treaties, is asked by Stella Morse, the secretary and niece of Dr. Morse, to investigate the origin of mysterious letters threatening the physician's life. Ashton-Kirk learns from the Secretary of State that the head of the Japanese spy network in Washington offered the dissolute son of Russian Count Drevonoff a large sum of money to steal a copy of a secret treaty conducted between Russia and the United States during the Russo-Japanese War. The count, who discovered the treaty in his son's possession, was thought to have stolen it and sent to war in disgrace. Dr. Morse, who treated the injured count at the front, unwittingly obtained the document. Although Dr. Morse is subsequently killed, Ashton-Kirk proves that the murder was accidentally committed by Nanon, the housekeeper. Ashton-Kirk then secures the copy of the treaty and safely delivers it to the Secretary of State, thus averting war between the United States and Japan.
"The Marriage Speculation" holds a slight edge in general audience appreciation, but "An Affair of Three Nations" offers its own unique cult appeal.
Suggested Watch:
The Marriage Speculation