Great God Gold (DVD)

1929 - The year of the worst economic crash in U.S. history. Fortunes were lost and men leapt from ledges in despair. One stock-market whiz kid, John Hart, manages to avoid calamity by selling everything at market value just before the collapse. Now shady lawyers approach him in a scheme to take advantage of struggling businesses by forcing them into receivership. The lure of easy money to be made off of other's misery proves too tempting for Hart, who lets a casual coin toss substitute for ethical decision-making. Once he turns his back on his own self-respect, he indulges his lust for money and women, callously ruining businesses and lives. Unfortunately for Hart, his actions plant the seeds of his ultimate downfall.

A powerful and intelligent morality tale, Great God Gold features a forceful performance by Sidney Blackmer. Between 1910 and 1970, Blackmer worked on both stage and screen continuously. He starred with Shirley Temple in The Little Colonel (1935) and Heidi (1937), and he appeared in seven different films as rough-riding President Teddy Roosevelt. One of his final screen appearances was in Rosemary's Baby in 1968.

• drama