Summary
False Fronts, a 1920s socio-economic tapestry woven by S. Barret McCormick, chronicles the paradoxical ascent and collapse of Keith Drummond—a destitute scion of privilege who masquerades as a nouveau riche socialite. Under the tutelage of John Lathrop, Keith borrows funds to infiltrate the glittering strata of Helen Baxter’s world, a woman whose materialism becomes both his tether and his undoing. The narrative pivots on a collision of artifice and authenticity, as Keith’s rejection of his fabricated life leads him to the unforgiving oil fields, only to find his moral and financial redemption when Helen, stripped of her wealth, confronts the hollow core of their union. The film’s dissection of identity, class, and self-reinvention pulses with the urgency of a silent-era parable, framed by stark contrasts between opulent interiors and the desolation of frontier labor.
Synopsis
Keith Drummond, a penniless youth from a well-known family, is advised by John Lathrop to put on a wealthy front and work hard in order to be successful. With money borrowed from Lathrop, Keith takes only the first part of the advice and plunges into a social whirl. He marries nouveau riche Helen Baxter, but one day he denounces his whole way of life and leaves to work in the western oil fields. They are reunited when Keith establishes himself and Helen is reduced to poverty.
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