Fifty Years of Film in 50 weeks, #2: Foolish Wives, 1922

This week we move to 1922 - still solidly in the silent era, but moving toward the time when silent film reached its creative and artistic peak. Foolish Wives demonstrates what can be done with the medium when a master is in charge. 

Foolish Wives (1922)

Director: Erich von Stroheim
Writer: Erich von Stroheim; Titles by Marian Ainslee and Walter Anthony
Cinematographer: William Daniels and Ben Reynolds
Producer: Irving Thalberg (uncredited) for Universal Film Mfg. Company
Starring: Erich von Stroheim, Miss DuPont, Rudolph Christians, Mae Busch, Maude George

Why I chose it
This film was recommended by a close film friend, and then it won the most votes from a poll I put on Twitter. The other options in the poll were Oliver Twist, Robin Hood, and Manslaughter. 

'No-spoiler' plot overview

In the principality of Monaco, shortly after the end of the Great War, a trio of scam artists posing as cousins and members of the Russian aristocracy live a lavish lifestyle in a chateau by the sea. The trio, "Princesses" Olga and Vera Petchnikoff and "Count" Captain Sergius Karamzin have just received an order of forged bills when they learn of the imminent arrival of new American ambassador Hughes and his wife in Monte Carlo. Seeing this as an opportunity to extend their influence and grab more cash, the Count begins the long con, arranging an introduction to the couple and then using his faux aristocratic charms on the somewhat bored Mrs. Hughes over a few days, enjoying boating, gambling, and preying on the disadvantaged in the process. The Count, not content with his current lovers, which includes his mournful, continually rebuffed maid, and probably, too, his "cousins", has his eye on the daughter of the forger. She exhibits a disability that causes her to act like a child and take to her bed with frequent headaches. Ultimately, his dalliances result in drastic revenge actions by the end of the film.

Production Background and 1922 in Film History:  Unlike Ernst Lubitsch, the director of the film I watched last week, Austrian Erich von Stroheim had already immigrated to the U.S. before his film career started. von Stroheim, like many of the characters he portrayed, extravagantly approached film-making. He was apparently inspired by D.W. Griffith, for whom he served as an assistant on the massive and ambitious Intolerance (1916). In Foolish Wives, von Stroheim created enormous sets to rival the actual Monte Carlo, and like most films he directed, he went over time and budget and ignored his bosses' pleas to rein in production. Originally six hours long, the film was subjected to drastic studio cuts until only a 130-minute version remained for commercial distribution. The version available today, as restored by the American Film Institute, runs 183 minutes.

Some other notable film-related events in 1922*:

• The first feature-length documentary, Nanook of the North, was produced.
• Rin Tin Tin became a star.
• William Desmond Taylor, film director, was shot and killed in a domestic incident that became a scandal for the industry. While suspects abound, the killer has not been definitely identified.
• One of the earliest and oft-copied horror films, Nosferatu (F.W. Murnau) was released.
  
• Buster Keaton was in his most creative period; he released 6 short films in 1922, including a favorite of mine, Cops.
  *Thanks to filmsite.org

My Random Observations 

• I loved this film, and was entranced throughout. Even having been cut down from 6 hours to its current form, it's a coherent whole with compellingly drawn characters. 
• The film is rich with themes: European vs. American culture, crime and punishment, the meaning of marriage, mistaken or misunderstood identities, innocence vs. worldliness, rich vs. poor. 
• Von Stroheim was a gifted cinematic storyteller. While he employed huge sets and made use of external locations with hundreds of extras, he really impressed me with small details of character, enabled by powerful close-ups and medium shots. For example, through a small series of scenes we learn that a doorman at the main hotel is not lacking manners when he doesn't pick up items that Mrs. Hughes dropped, rather he is missing his hands from a wartime injury. This both adds interest to the milieu of the film and portrays Mrs. Hughes' initial obliviousness and later her kind heart.
• This film is an early example of what can happen when a key actor dies in mid-production. In this, Rudolph Christians as Mr. Hughes died unexpectedly with a number of scenes yet to film. Von Stroheim employed a stand-in (Robert Edeson) who mainly was seen from behind in a couple of scenes that remain in the version we have today. However, Edeson was easy to spot, partly because of his notably lighter hair, and short clips of Christians were edited in the scenes to make up for his absence. I was reminded of Saratoga, Jean Harlow's last film, in which some scenes were completed, and obviously, by Mary Dees as Harlow's character. Or Gladiator, where CGI and clever editing enabled Oliver Reed to complete his remaining scenes posthumously. In any of these cases the situation would have been difficult for the cast and crew, and awkward for past and current audiences.
• Was von Stroheim always best when dressed in military garb? I'm reminded of his excellent turn as the hospitable German captain in La Grande Illusion.
  
• I would have liked more scenes with the Princesses Olga and Vera, and their backstories. Perhaps that was some of what never made it into the final film.
• I'm now curious about von Stroheim's previous film, Blind Husbands (1919) It seems to have a similar plot. Is it as compelling?

Screenshots 

In this frontal shot, it looks like Karamzin (von Stroheim)
is aiming his gun at us. This is his introductory scene.

Karamzin is intrigued by the developmentally-
delayed daughter (Malvina Polo) of an accomplice.

Impressive replica of Monte Carlo.

A bit of self-referential humor: the book Mrs. Hughes
is reading when she meets Karamzin.

Karamzin attempts to comfort Mrs. Hughes (DuPont)
in a temporary shelter after getting caught
 in a destructive rainstorm.

Mr. and Mrs. Hughes (Christians and DuPont)
relaxing after her ordeal being stuck
all night with Karamzin in a rainstorm.

Occasionally Karamzin frequents the rough areas
of Monte Carlo, and has to cover his nose from
the stench of the sewer. This location
will return at a key plot moment.

Mrs. Hughes becomes aware of this military
guest's (Harrison Ford) disability.

Just so you can't forget this is Monte Carlo,
Karamzin and Mrs. Hughesat a gambling table.

In this shot we see the stand-in for actor Rudolph
Christians, Robert Edeson, with back to us. 

The Maid Maruschka (Dale Fuller) plotting. 

Maruschka attempts to convince Karamzin
of her heartbreak.

Read More

Stroheim (biography by Arthur Lennig, 2000)

Where to watch
It's currently on YouTube, here, and Kanopy, and is available on DVD.