
Refusing her father's request to marry young Carswell, daughter Philena can't stand him, but in order to insure a loan Mr. Mortimer needs to complete construction of an office building.


The flicker begins with a thud of pickaxes against bedrock, the screen quivering as if the earth itself were registering complaint. From the Ground Up—that blunt, declarative title—announces a film determined to excavate not merely foundations but the strata of caste, appetite, and self-invention. Hughes, whose pen o...

publicity

publicity


Comparing the cinematic DNA and archive impact of two defining moments in cult history.

E. Mason Hopper

E. Mason Hopper
Community
Log in to comment.
" The flicker begins with a thud of pickaxes against bedrock, the screen quivering as if the earth itself were registering complaint. From the Ground Up—that blunt, declarative title—announces a film determined to excavate not merely foundations but the strata of caste, appetite, and self-invention. Hughes, whose pen once etched society columns for Vanity Fair, here wields intertitles like masonry trowels, slapping mortar between bricks of ambition and calamity. Grace Pike’s Philena enters fram..."
Rupert Hughes
United States


Deep dive into the cult classic
Discover similar cinematic experiences
A Directorial Spotlight on E. Mason Hopper