Film vs Film
Select two cult films to compare side by side.
The Narrow Path Synopsis
Marion Clark, a manicurist, is unimpressed by the wealthy but dissipated men who frequent her shop, preferring city editor Dick Strong, who lives in her boardinghouse. Dick's sister Gladys, however, is intrigued by the wilder side of life in New York and allows one of the boarders to take her to a lively party. There Gladys meets and becomes infatuated with Malcolm Dunn, a dissolute businessman who neglects his wife Margaret. When Gladys realizes that she is pregnant, she turns to Marion for advice. Outraged, Marion sends for Malcolm, not knowing that his wife has hired detectives to follow him. The detectives find Malcolm in Marion's apartment, and Margaret sues him for divorce, naming Marion as the correspondent. In order to protect Gladys, Marion remains silent, but in the end, the truth is revealed, and Marion wins Dick.
The On-the-Square Girl Synopsis
In order to send her invalid mother to a sanitarium in the North, Anne Blair, a dressmaker's model, accepts money from the wealthy, lascivious Thomas Brockton. With the aid of the dressmaker, Brockton attempts to seduce Anne, but she resists him with force. During the struggle, Anne stabs Brockton and flees to the North to avoid arrest. Upon her arrival, Anne discovers that her mother has died. Overcome with grief, she wanders blindly into the icy wilderness, but Richard Steel, a portrait painter, rescues her and soon falls in love with her. Through a series of letters, Anne discovers that Brockton is her father, but remains silent to protect her mother's name. After learning of her liaisons with a certain actor, Steel terminates his engagement to Inez Brockton, Brockton's other daughter. When Brockton visits Steel to demand an explanation, he runs into Anne, who tells him that she is his daughter. Ashamed and repentant, Brockton bestows his blessings on the new couple.
"The Narrow Path" holds a slight edge in general audience appreciation, but "The On-the-Square Girl" offers its own unique cult appeal.
Suggested Watch:
The Narrow Path