Film vs Film
Select two cult films to compare side by side.
The Midnight Burglar Synopsis
Marylee Depue's father, John Cromwell Depue, refuses to improve the unsanitary living conditions in his tenements, although many of the tenants have become ill. John's wife Emily, who is involved in charity work only because it is fashionable among her friends, takes Marylee on an excursion through the tenements, where the child sees genuine suffering for the first time in her life. At a ball given by her mother, Marylee dresses as a slum child and collects money for the poor, and later that night she steals away to the tenement to visit Jones, whose wife has contracted typhoid. Determined to help the sick woman, Marylee steals a large basket of food from her own house and gives it to Jones, but he takes her back home when she becomes ill. Overjoyed to learn that Marylee's sickness was brought on by eating too many cakes with jam, John and Emily vow to lower the rents and clean up the tenements.
Wanted: A Brother Synopsis
Little Bab Fanning, who has always wanted a brother, befriends young Tom Wellsley, who has run away from his wealthy but stern father, Daniel Wellsley, in search of adventure. Tom becomes a newsboy, but the other "newsies," resentful of the wealthy boy's intrusion, plant some stolen fruit in his pockets, and he is sent to the House of Correction. Bab's effort to secure his release proves unsuccessful, and he escapes with a gang of tough boys who subsequently decide to rob his father's house. Refusing to join them, Tom finds work on a farm. Meanwhile, Bab, in search of her friend, goes to the Wellsley home, where she is forced by the boy crooks to break in. Inside, she forgets the gang and befriends Tom's brooding father, and together they find Tom and convince him to return home.
"The Midnight Burglar" holds a slight edge in general audience appreciation, but "Wanted: A Brother" offers its own unique cult appeal.
Suggested Watch:
The Midnight Burglar