Summary
A kaleidoscopic exploration of the human condition, 'The Price of Folly' unfolds as a series of eight distinct vignettes, each functioning as a self-contained moral laboratory. Eschewing the linear comfort of traditional narrative arcs, the anthology presents a sequence of ethical crossroads—ranging from the vanity of 'Phantom Fame' to the treacherous instability of 'Shifting Sands'—where characters grapple with the weight of their own agency. This 1918 cinematic experiment functions as a proto-interactive experience, deliberately withholding authorial judgment to transform the spectator into an active juror. Through the lens of protagonists navigating counterfeit clues, the crushing grip of poverty, and the seductive lure of gold, the film meticulously maps the geography of consequence. It is a haunting tapestry of early 20th-century anxiety, where the 'folly' in question is not merely a lapse in judgment, but a fundamental collision between individual desire and the rigid, often unforgiving, machinery of social and moral law.
Synopsis
A series of eight two-reel episodes, each complete in itself, which leave the audience to judge for itself the wisdom of the course of action taken in the story; episode titles: 1) Phantom Fame (1918); 2) Counterfeit Clues (1918); 3) The Cat's Paw (1918); 4) The Sin of Innocence (1918); 5) Sold for Gold (1918); 6) In Poverty's Power (1918); 7) The Rebound (1918); 8) Shifting Sands (1918).
Cast
