F. W. Murnau's "Der Brennende Acker" ("The Burning Soil") (1922).

[Old Movie Fan]

    I'm a fan of stories about unrequited love, and this once
lost film is an example of this in many different forms. It's an old
film (released at just about the same time as "Nosferatu"), with a story
as meaningful back then as it will be tomorrow. Murnau's understanding
of human emotion is self-evident and like his other work, the story is
unforgettable.
    Mistaken by many as simply another version of the prodigal
son (which it isn't); this story is about two brothers; Peter, content
to continue working the family farm, and Johannes, who's unsatisfied
with his station in life and the misery that comes with tilling the
soil. There is no demanding of his inheritance before, or even after his
father's death. Johannes simply runs away.
    After a confrontation between the brothers, Johannes leaves
home and finds work as a secretary for a wealthy Count in a nearby
castle.
    It isn't long before he's competing with another rich
neighbor for the Count's daughter's affections.
    Meanwhile, his childhood friend who had always planned to be
Johannes's wife, sees them together and (heartbroken), she seeks work at
brother Peter's farm.
    Listening behind a closed door as the count meets with his
advisor, Johannes happens to learn that a worthless piece of land is
rich with petroleum deposits.
    The ailing count has Johannes write out his last will for
him where he leaves his riches to the daughter, and only the supposedly
worthless land to his wife. This was a generous plan by the old man,
that would only be discovered after the division of property.
    Knowing the truth about the land, Johannes turns his
advances away from the daughter and to the step-mother (who will inherit
this property shortly). Outraged, the daughter runs and tells her
father abut this.
    Meanwhile, Johannes' brother Peter has asked Maria (the girl
now working at his farm), to be his wife; but she tells him that she
could never love him because she will always have feelings for his
brother.
    As soon as the Count dies, Johannes marries the widow and
quickly heads to the city to find investors to fund his oil drilling.
    While he's gone, the Countess decides that this worthless
property is only a hinderance and she goes and sells it to Peter,
thinking that her husband will be pleased.
      Of course he's outraged to learn this when he returns,
and tells her that the land was worth millions, as he throws the coins
she received onto the floor.
      Heartbroken, she returns to Peter and pleads for him
to undo the deal they had just made and he does.
      Soon afterwards, it's Johannes who comes to his
brother, demanding that the deal with his wife be rescinded and he soon
tells Peter of it's real worth.
      While he's there, the dead body of the Countess
(Johannes' wife), is brought into the farmhouse. Having learned that it
was the promise of money and not her that Johannes really loved, she
took her own life.
      With her death, enter the greedy step daughter who
realizes that Johannes had really only loved the land and not her
step-mother. She comes to Johannes, expecting to win his heart.
    When he rebuffs her, saying that he feels nothing for her,
but only a lust for wealth, she leaves in tears.
    Soon afterwards, she blows up the oil rig and kills herself
since the man she want's doesn't want her.
    After the land burns uncontrollably, the fire is eventually
brought under control.
    Realizing all of the harm that he had caused, Johannes
returns to Peter's farm and confesses his sins before all of the people
inside.
    The brothers embrace and Peter places the girl's hand into
Johannes as the film comes to an end.

Rich Wagner
    As one reviewer of this film noted at IMDB, there are scenes
in the film that look very familiar.
    It would seem that the set director for "Giant" modeled
several scenes from this old German classic into the "Giant" film sets.