La roue

"I know that Creation is a Great Wheel which cannot move without crushing someone!" - Victor Hugo. With this quotation begins the story of widowed railroad engineer Sisif. He finds an infant girl in a train wreck, and realizing that her parents are dead, rescues her and decides to raise her as his daughter, Norma. His wife died in childbirth, and Norma will make a good companion for his son, Elie. Knowing nothing of Norma's true origins, Elie and Norma grow up having an unusually close relationship, stopped from developing any further by their belief they are siblings. Haunted by his actions and resultant guilt, Sisif is driven to drink, making him all the more susceptible to the scheming of his wealthy boss, De Hersan, who wants to marry Norma. Though Norma refuses Hersan at first, Sisif's dismissal from the railway forces her to accept, which destroys both men. Elie realizing that he could have had the love of his life all along--once the truth comes out--is especially tragic. This seminal film introduced many innovations in set design and construction, location shooting, cinematic graphic effects, and particularly rhythmic editing. Gance's technique was years ahead of its time and influenced filmmakers all over the world, as his technical mastery is always in the service of the story.