Film vs Film
Select two cult films to compare side by side.
The Sword of Valor Synopsis
Spanish Don Guzman de Ruis y Montejo, living quietly in his Madrid hacienda, determines upon a rich marriage for his daughter, Ynez, rather than letting her be courted by Rodrigo, a Gypsy chieftain. Papa takes his daughter to the Riviera, where Ismid Matrouli, a wealthy Levantine of mongrel origin, asks Ynez's father for her hand. However, at a garden party, Ynez meets an American military attache named Captain Grant Lee Brooke, and the two are love-struck at first sight, especially after he rescues her during a swim in the Mediterranean. Matrouli sics a professional swordsman on the captain, but the American socks him in the jaw. The inevitable duel between Brooke and Matrouili follows, but Roderigo takes a pot shot at the captain and hits the Levantine instead. Roderigo then kidnaps Ynez and carries her away to a mountain stronghold, but the captain follows and rescues her. Her father gives the couple his consent to marry.
The Great Shadow Synopsis
Jim McDonald, the foreman of a shipbuilding plant and head of the labor union, strives to combat the anarchistic propaganda being put forth by Klimoff, the leader of a Bolshevik gang whose goal is to disrupt the country with strikes and anarchy. Despite McDonald's efforts, a strike is called, resulting in chaos. McDonald's child is knocked down by runaway horses abandoned by their striking driver, and dies. Mob scenes take place in America, as well as in Russia. Eventually, the unrest is quelled with an armistice called between Capital and Labor for a year, during which time wages are to be increased to reflect the cost of living, and leaders are to work out a common plan for their mutual advantage. The strikers now realize that they have been pawns of the Bolsheviks and call off the strike, agreeing to the plan.
"The Sword of Valor" holds a slight edge in general audience appreciation, but "The Great Shadow" offers its own unique cult appeal.
Suggested Watch:
The Sword of ValorBoth films share