Foolish Wives (1922)

'Von' Songs

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Buy Foolish Wives on DVD

Erich von Stroheim (1885-1957) pushed the cinematic envelope early and found the glass ceiling that all film directors must duck under to this day.

He had a wildly epic vision of gigantic proportions, propelled by his own personal fetishes and desires. But film was and ever is a business as much as an art. And, as a result, nearly every one of his films was truncated or dismantled or diluted in some way.

Born in Vienna, and raised middle-class, Stroheim added the "Von" to his name (his friends called him "Von") to make him sound more like royalty. He apparently served briefly in the military, but probably deserted -- though that never stopped him from serving as a "military advisor" on several pictures.

Arriving in Hollywood, he worked for D.W. Griffith before getting his first shot at directing in 1919. (He even lived in San Francisco for a time.)

Stroheim directed nine films during his career. One, The Devil's Pass Key, no longer exists, four (Foolish Wives, Greed, The Wedding March and Queen Kelly) were cut down to a fraction of their intended lengths and two (Merry-Go-Round and Walking Down Broadway) were taken away and finished by other directors. The final two (Blind Husbands and The Merry Widow) were released more or less as intended, though Stroheim complained about those as well.

His third film as director, Foolish Wives (1922, Kino, $29.95), may be Stroheim's greatest achievement -- at least the equivalent of Greed -- though it's also one of his most truncated. Originally envisioned at about 6-1/2 hours, the complete film today runs only about 2-1/2. It suffers from lost plot threads and the death of one of the leading men halfway through filming, but it's still Von Stroheim's most elaborate and spectacular film.

He also stars, adding another level to the cult of personality, playing Count Sergius Karamzin, a rogue involved with a counterfeit scheme. He lives in a mansion atop a high hill with two female "cousins," both of whom he is apparently engaged with sexually. He's also involved with the retarded daughter of his counterfeiter connection and drinks ox blood for breakfast. He spies an American woman (credited simply as Miss DuPont), the wife of a diplomat, whom he hopes to seduce and bilk for a considerable sum of money.

Von Stroheim always goes for the biggest, most bizarre setups and constantly indulges in all his most personal and twisted whims -- such as his fetishes for amputees and uniforms. These kinds of films usually frighten producers and distributors and rarely get made.

Also included on the disc is the excellent feature documentary, The Man You Loved to Hate (1980) -- which tells the story of Von Stroheim's roller coaster life and career -- and a commentary track by biographer Richard Koszarski.

Starring: Erich von Stroheim, Rudolph Christians, Miss DuPont, Maude George, Mae Busch, Dale Fuller, Al Edmundsen, Cesare Gravina, Malvina Polo, C.J. Allen
Written by: Erich von Stroheim, Marian Ainslee, Walter Anthony
Directed by: Erich von Stroheim
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Running Time: 143 minutes
Date: July 24, 2003