Foolish Wives (1922)

 Erich von Stroheim's "Foolish Wives"

After the success of his 1919 film, "Blind Husbands," Erich von Stroheim had full backing by Universal Pictures. The commercial success he had achieved as well as his genuine talent for filmmaking made him highly sought after by many parties. He was even being hailed by many as the next D.W. Griffith. During this time in filmmaking, it had become rare for a director to adequately portray a series of images in cohesive and abstract ways. Stroheim, with his first film, had demonstrated his prowess for telling a cohesive visual story. Because he was so sought after, Universal had to pay up massively in order to keep him, providing him over a million dollars to produce another film. This made his next project, "Foolish Wives," the most expensive film ever made. Universal even billed it as the "first million-dollar movie." This loaded budget would yield something lavish and ambitious. It would also start an industry-wide trend towards elaborate and expensive productions, luring moviegoers with spectacle, melodrama, and sex.

The film, although 384 minutes in length, was a fairly simple premise. The protagonist, played by Stroheim, adopts the name and title of Count Wladislaw Sergius Karamzin. He does this so as to seduce the wives of wealthy men and extort money from them. His enterprise is set up in Monte Carlo, along with his partners in crime that pass as his cousins: "Princess" Vera Petchnikoff and "Her Highness" Olga Petchnikoff. The story begins when the Count seduces the wife of an American envoy, Helen Hughes. After getting into her good graces, he begins to spend a considerable amount of time with her. Meanwhile, he also seduces a local maid, Maruschka. Maruschka sees him seducing Helen, and sets the building on fire. After abandoning Helen to the fire, the Count is looked upon as selfish by the local community. Humiliated, he seduces Marietta, a mentally disabled girl. Marietta's father finds out, kills the Count, and dumps his body in a sewer. The Count's "cousins" are caught and arrested. 

The over bloated budget went into the production designs of the film. Universal built an enormous facsimile of the casinos and entertainment complex that occupy the French Riviera. It was built along the Pacific Ocean, which was to resemble the Mediterranean. Stroheim, who was often referred to as a 'perfectionist,' ran up the film's budget to garnish greater authenticity. He insisted upon these extravagant and costly sets. Universal reacted to these inflating costs by presenting them as virtues. They created advertising stunts that gleefully showcased the extravagance of the film. Not only this, after a scandal broke out involving sexual indiscretions by renowned comedic actor Fatty Arbuckle (not associated with this film), Universal decided to screen the picture before a censor board, due to the film's inclination towards sexual overtones. The censor board picked certain scenes that would upset the public, and removed them from the film, much to Stroheim's anger. This began the era of studio interference. Due to the rising attention and fame to Hollywood and its stars, production companies began to not only censor their films to fit the public's prudish discretion, but also began grooming and monitoring their film's stars. This ultimate control by the studios began an battle between art and commerce that still rages on to this day.

After the film's release, many film critics praised the film's incredible erection of Monte Carlo. The visuals of the story were like candy, shimmering with realness and extravagance. However, this stunning design was deemed hollow by many. Its excesses in visual style mirrored that of its story. Many view the picture as a sensational sex drama. After all, 'sensational' can be used on all aspects of the film; its production, its storyline, its set designs, its marketing, etc. "Foolish Wives," in many ways, began the Hollywood film that many picture in their mind. Full of flash, made to entertain with sex and pretty visuals. However, because of this, the audiences ate it up. It was the eighth highest grossing film that year. Because of its enthusiastic reception by general audiences, Hollywood began shoving more and more money into productions for the sake of luxurious style. Art began to take a back seat to spectacle.