The Usurer's Grip
The Usurer's Grip

Movie spotlight

The Usurer's Grip

1912
Movie
15 min
English

Here with the Edison Company -- most notably Charles Ogle as the usurer -- we see a 'typical' case of the victims of usury. Although offered as a 'realistic' view of the effects of usury, it veers frequently into melodrama.

Insights

Director: UnknownGenres: Drama, Short film

Plot Summary

As a silent short film from 1912, specific plot details for "The Usurer's Grip" are not readily available in contemporary historical records. However, the title suggests a narrative centered around the predatory practices of moneylenders and the potential negative consequences for those who fall into their debt. Such themes were common in early cinema, often aiming to convey moral lessons to the audience.

Critical Reception

Information on the critical reception of "The Usurer's Grip" is extremely scarce due to its age and the nature of film distribution and criticism in 1912. Surviving records from this period are limited, and specific reviews for individual short films like this are rarely preserved. General trends of the era suggest that films with moralistic themes and dramatic narratives were often met with audience engagement, though formal critical analysis was less prevalent than today.

What Reviewers Say

  • Themes of financial hardship and moral consequence were prevalent in early cinema.

  • Short films of this era often served as cautionary tales or moral lessons.

  • Limited surviving information makes specific critical consensus impossible to ascertain.

Google audience: Due to the film's age and the lack of preserved audience records from 1912, there is no available summary of Google user reviews for "The Usurer's Grip."

Fun Fact

In 1912, the year "The Usurer's Grip" was released, the average price of a movie ticket in the United States was approximately 5 cents.

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