Film vs Film
Select two cult films to compare side by side.
The Song of Songs Synopsis
When composer Anselm Kardos leaves his alcoholic wife, he gives his daughter Lily an unfinished love ode entitled "The Song of Songs" and warns her to keep her artistic temperament in check. Lily becomes a salesgirl for an import dealer and travels to Palm Beach and Atlantic City, where her beauty attracts the attention of many wealthy men. Finally, Lily agrees to marry Senator Calkins, a powerful but unscrupulous man who earlier had betrayed the love of Ann Merkle, his housekeeper. Impersonating Lily on the phone, the jealous Ann invites Calkins' neighbor, Dick Laird, to visit Lily in her room, and when the senator finds him there, he divorces her. Bewildered, Lily remains Laird's mistress until she falls in love with musician Stephen Bennett. Aware of her past, Stephen proposes, much to the dismay of his uncle Phineas, who resolves to break up the romance. After Phineas plies Lily with champagne so that the idealistic young man may see her in an intoxicated state, Stephen boards a train for the West. Soon, however, he returns to save Lily from suicide by marrying her.
Nanette of the Wilds Synopsis
Nanette raised in Canada has been peaceful despite the fact that her father is the leader of a band of whiskey bootleggers. Then, however, when Baptiste, a half-breed member of the gang, kills his wife, Constable Thomas O'Brien of the mounted police arrives not only to investigate the murder, but the gang's smuggling activities as well. Nanette and Thomas become friends and then fall in love, but because she is unaware of the precise nature of the crime that Baptiste committed, she helps him get away from the authorities. When she finds out that he is a murderer, however, she agrees to help Thomas capture him, first making sure that her father and the rest of the criminals will be safe from prosecution. After he catches Baptiste and prepares to take him to prison, Thomas promises to return to Nanette and marry her.
"The Song of Songs" holds a slight edge in general audience appreciation, but "Nanette of the Wilds" offers its own unique cult appeal.
Suggested Watch:
The Song of Songs