A Corner in Wheat

Directors use the technique of freeze frames in movies to emphasize a crucial point where the picture pauses in midstream, somewhat like a photograph. The first film to use this effective cinematic tool was December 1909's "A Corner of Wheat." D.W. Griffith showed the despair of the poor effected by greed in his--and film's--historic freeze frame.

"A Corner of Wheat" marked Griffith's year-and-a-half of directing films. His innovations in cinematic techniques began to really pile up from this point. The movie highlights his now familiarity with cross-cutting and parallel editing, unfolding a story with two perspectives--here the ravenous rich contrasting against the despairing poor. The depth of field in the beginning and ending shots of the farmers walking towards the camera planting wheat reflect an understanding of using the entire frame to capture the essence of the atmosphere of the narrative.

This is the first time Griffith addressed social disparity and holding those responsible for such unfairness. Based on a 1902 Frank Norris book, "The Pit," Griffith was able to effectively slim down the novel into several concise scenes within a one-reel movie.