Why Watch? Because you shouldn’t fear black and white silence. It’s a coincidence that this is going up the same day as a very thoughtful exploration of G.W. Pabst’s Pandora’s Box, but it’s also great to see another initialed, iconic director’s early silent short works.

This one, the story of a wheat king looking to monopolize production and crush the poor, was made back in 1909. That’s right. This short film is over 100 years old. Pretty amazing.

It features some early advents of the cross-cutting and montage techniques as well as some stunning black and white imagery, and a final shot that’s as poignant as it is bittersweet.

What Will It Cost? Just 14 minutes of your time.

Does it get better any better than that?

Check out A Corner in the Wheat for yourself:

A CORNER IN THE WHEAT (1909)

Directed By: D. W. Griffith

Written By: Frank Norris

Starring: Frank Powell, James Kirkwood, Linda Arvidson, Henry B. Walthall, Grace Henderson, and W. Chrystie Miller

Trust us. You have time for more short films.