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.

May 2017 Greater Boston Classic Film Screenings -- My Picks

May started joyfully and uproariously with The Freshman at the Coolidge, with live orchestral accompaniment from the Berklee Silent Film Orchestra.  Brilliant is not too strong a word for the music; the entire experience epitomized the best of the art of film.  I had a grin on my face the entire evening.  The BSFO has been adding performances to their calendar, including the San Francisco Silent Film Festival in June and in NYC later this month.

My picks for classic film fans in the Boston area are as follows:

Zasu Pitts and Gibson Gowland in Greed

May 14, 2 PM at the Somerville Theatre, 'Silents, Please'  series, is Greed (1924, d. Erich von Stroheim).  From the name of this film, and the picture to the right, you know it's not going to be a laugh-a-minute.  It's considered a (silent) masterpiece from the German maverick director, whose vision was such that the original cut of the film was a staggering, unsustainable eight hours long; the film was eventually debuted by MGM at about 2.5 hours.  Much of the original footage was lost.  Even at 2.5 hours, modern cinephiles rave about the film.  Roger Ebert has named it one of his 'Great Movies', and in his piece illustrates the twists and turns of its fascinating history.  I read and enjoyed the source novel, McTeague by Frank Norris, about a quack dentist in turn of the century San Francisco who is runs into significant trouble when his wife Trina come in possession of a $5,000 winning lottery ticket.  This silent film stars Zasu Pitts as Trina and Gibson Gowland as McTeague.  Von Stroheim shares screenwriting credits with June Mathis, a writer and early film executive who 'discovered' Rudolph Valentino.

Accompanying this screening will be Jeff Rapsis on the piano.  I've not seen this and can't wait.

The Brattle has an impressive May lineup of David Lynch films, as well as some classic comedies, with some Welles and Hitchcock thrown in.  If you're in the area at all this month, check out their calendar.  I'm particularly excited to see the classic comedy Playtime, by influential comedian Jacques Tati on Sunday, May 28th. I've not seen it before, but I enjoyed Mon Oncle last summer when it was on TCM, which also featured Tati's slightly befuddled 'Monsieur Hulot' character.  I need to see more of Tati.

Playtime (1967) from brattlefilm.org

I may camp out in Harvard Square for the weekend, as continuing the French film theme, also from 1967, is Le Samourai, d. Jean-Pierre Melville, which will screen twice in 35mm on Memorial Day, Monday, May 29th. In this one, hearthrob actor Alain Delon portrays a hit man caught in the web of his own weaving.  Another one of Ebert's 'Great Movies', it will be fun to see this, and compare it with Alan Ladd's hitman in This Gun For Hire from 1942, which, not entirely coincidentally, is screening that same day at the Brattle.

The Brattle is also screening the documentary Harold & Lillian -- A Hollywood Love Story (2015, d. Daniel Raim), multiple times in early May.  I plan to see it this Saturday, May 6. My friend Raquel of OutofthePastBlog.com highly recommends this exploration of the story of Harold & Lillian Michelson, who contributed their talents behind the camera -- he a storyboard artist, she a film researcher, during Hollywood's golden age.  The documentary has gotten rave reviews, and currently owns a 8.7 user rating on IMDb.   Monica Castillo of the New York Times said "Like flipping through misplaced leaves in a photo book, the documentary maintains a free-flowing tone as it uncovers the work that went into creating some of the indelible scenes in Hollywood history."  Watch the trailer below:

À bientôt!

Five Movies on an Island -- with my Dad

This is my entry in the "5 Movies on an Island" blogathon to celebrate "National Classic Movie Day" on May 16th, hosted by Classic Film & TV Cafe.

Everyone who knew him would agree with me that my Dad was a modern Renaissance man.  A Ph.D. scientist by practice, he loved and made a study of the arts and literature in his spare time. His primary love was classical music, especially opera, and he taught opera appreciation later in his life.  I was just starting to adore classic film when I lost Dad, but nevertheless, he also loved classic film, and I have fond memories of sharing some with him, starting from when I was a child through to the last year we had together.  May 16 is Dad's birthday, and this year he will be gone five years. This post is dedicated to him, and if I ever found myself on a desert island, I'd hope to have with me these five films, that he and I shared, to remember him.

Presented in the order I watched them with Dad, they are:
SCROOGE aka A Christmas Carol (1951)
This would perhaps be on my top ten favorite films list in any case.  Count me among those who believe Alastair Sim's portrayal of Scrooge is the best ever on film, because of his treating the character as a real person.  His deeply psychological portrait of a man who hates himself, and thus everyone around him, is compellingly nuanced.  The terrific supporting cast of Kathleen Harrison, Mervyn Johns, Hermione Baddeley, and Michael Hordern, and taught direction of Brian Desmond Hurst, contribute to making the film one that, in the words of Leonard Maltin, is too good to be viewed only at Christmas.  My earliest recollection of this film was when I was perhaps about 10 years old, and late on a winter's evening I tiptoed into our family room to see that my Dad was on his own watching this blurry, scratchy old B&W film on the TV.  "What's this?", I asked.  "It's 'A Christmas Carol' -- from the 50's, the best movie version", Dad replied.  I chuckled in disbelief -- "This??"  It looked so ancient and uninviting.  It must have been a very poor print.  I shook my head and walked away from the TV.  Decades later I want to tell my Dad that this film is a holiday ritual for me, and that of course, as usual, he was right.

FITZCARRALDO (1982)
I was in college and on summer break, staying with my parents in our family home, when Dad checked this film out of the video store and announced it was going to be our evening's entertainment.  When I asked him what the film was about, I knew immediately what his attraction was.  It was a story about a opera-loving man (Klaus Kinski) determined, against all odds, to build an opera house in the middle of the Amazon jungle, and to engage the eminent Enrico Caruso to sing there.  As directed by Werner Herzog, and produced in Germany, I recall it being a somewhat surrealistic journey, fraught with madness and danger, excitement and love.  I confess to not appreciating it those many years ago, but I saw my Dad smile as he watched.  It's now considered one of Herzog's best, and for me, with my new love of film, more than deserving of another viewing.  Having this on a desert island will give me more than enough time to plumb the depths of vision and meaning that Herzog brought to this tale.

THE SEARCHERS (1956)

THE SEARCHERS is a film that existed in my imagination for many years before I ever saw it.  As a teenager, I was fascinated with Buddy Holly and his music, and was familiar with the story that Buddy Holly & the Crickets' first big hit "That'll be the Day," was inspired by the phrase repeated often by John Wayne in this movie.  I hadn't heard any more about the film for many years since then, but in recent years I began to see it popping up in lists of the best films of all time, best westerns, etc.  [I was impressed --Buddy Holly and his friends had good taste in movies as well as music!]  In 2009, I decided to finally see it, prompted by a friend who was on a mission to see every film in the AFI's top 100.  I rented it, and decided to watch it one day when my parents were visiting me here in Boston.  Neither of them recalled seeing it, but thought that they might have when it first came out in theaters in 1956.  When the credits rolled, Mom, Dad, and I agreed we had seen something special--an epic performance by Wayne and a classic of storytelling, framing, and cinematography.  Knowing that my Dad appreciated seeing this as I did, made me feel like I had accomplished a mission in more ways than one. This film also has enough beauty and characterizations to make multiple desert-island viewings a great pleasure.

LA GRANDE ILLUSION (1937) -- Dad was the one who introduced this Jean Renoir film to me.  As he took advantage of his membership in the now defunct Blockbuster video mail order service, he came across this one and brought the DVD along on another trip to Boston.  I had not yet entered fully into my classic film obsession, but I remember being open to this film, as I'd heard of Erich von Stroheim, and was eager to see a war film from an earlier era; at the time, I had become a fan of WWII films and stories, being turned on to them by Clint Eastwood's filming of FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS and LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA.  This B&W film grabbed me initially by the colorful characters portrayed by von Stroheim & Jean Gabin, the multiple languages spoken, and the poignant anti-war message camouflaged by humor and romance.  It is a film that should remind us in any era that we are all human, and most of all deserve respect from one another.  The film also started Dad on an appreciation of French cinema, an interest he explored in the last years of his life by taking a course from his local 'institute of learning in retirement' on films from Truffaut and Malle.

Buster Keaton -- the Shorts Collection.
I credit Buster with setting my feet solidly on the path to classic film obsession. On a lark, I'd brought a friend with me to a local screening of STEAMBOAT BILL JR with live music.  Shortly after that, I was exploring classic film starting with the silent comedians, Buster Keaton first, followed by Chaplin, watching everything they ever made.  One of my Christmas gifts that year was this multiple disc set from Kino.  As my parents and sister were visiting for the holidays, I 'subjected' them to watching these whenever we needed some down time.  To my great surprise, my Dad and sister both enjoyed them almost as much as I did.  Our favorites were probably COPS, ONE WEEK, and THE BALLOONATIC.  Once we finished a short, it was hard to keep from watching the next one.  I remember saying to my Dad, "Up for another?"  He replied, "Yes, they're addictive, aren't they?"

Over the last months of Dad's life he and I corresponded by phone and email about classic film, both of us watching and discussing some of the Truffaut and Malle films he was studying in his short course. I wish I'd have had more time to explore with him this mutual interest, but am tremendously grateful for the love of art and classics in general that Dad made it a priority to share with me.  Along with many other memories, these films will always be linked to his memory in my mind.