The Merry Widow (1925)

 Erich von Stroheim's "The Merry Widow"


When Erich von Stroheim signed a three-picture deal with Goldwyn Company in 1922, it was on the condition that he made an adaptation of the famous German operetta, "The Merry Widow." 

The story centers on a prince who falls in love with a peasant dancer. After being convinced out of the marriage due to her economic standing, she winds up marrying rich Barron. After the Barron's death, the Prince must win her back to keep her large wealth from leaving the country. 

Stroheim utilizes his typical decadence to tell a story of love, sex, and wealth. These three things seem interchangeable in the film, as class dynamics overpower emotionality itself. Stroheim's brilliant camera play is top-notch as always. The limited number of intertitles allows the story to breathe more on its own. It also allows Stroheim to tell the story visually and let the images speak for themselves. 

The film ended up being Stroheim's highest-grossing movie. The story was so popular, that it was eventually remade with sound in 1934. The 1934 version was directed by Ernst Lubitsch, who was a great admirer of Stroheim. The 1925 version of "The Merry Widow," although soundless, still is able to tell an engaging story about how the sexual indulgences of the wealthy in inseparable from their indulgences in power. 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rio Bravo (1959)

Image
  Howard Hawks' "Rio Bravo" To conclude the filmography of Howard Hawks, I watched his 1959 western film " Rio Bravo ." I've got to say that I was expecting a lot more out of this picture based on all the praise for the film. That is not to say that I didn't like it, it was a fine time at the cinema (I was not at the cinema, I was at home). I can't say that I should have expected more, as I'm not entirely that big of a fan of Howard Hawks. Even his best film (to me), " The Big Sleep " is arguably one of the weaker film noirs that I've seen. " Rio Bravo " is a film that apparently is a response to 1952's " High Noon ," which was an allegory about Hollywood's blacklisting and McCarthyism. Howard Hawks and John Wayne felt the film was anti-American and instead made " Rio Bravo " to broadcast an alternative perspective in which the hero of the story doesn't shy away from justice. I personally ha...
Read more

King Kong (1933)

Image
  Merian C. Cooper & Ernest B. Schoedsack's "King Kong" There are many post-Depression American 'box office' films that I have seen in my film studies journey. Most of these post-Depression box office films don't typically sit right with me. The films I have in mind are the gangster and monster films that swept the nation in the early 1930s. These films typically were meant to placate an anxious American audience. However, the depth to their thematic intricacies leave something to be desired. Even without this depth, the 'entertainment' aspect of these films were not very entertaining to me. However, there is one film that utterly surprised me, 1933's adventure epic " King Kong ."   The story is well-known. A group of filmmakers travel to a remote island to take advantage of strange and interesting natural wildlife unknown to the outside world. There they meet an indigenous people, all terrified of a large, monstrous primate living on...
Read more

The Big Sleep (1946)

Image
  Howard Hawks' "The Big Sleep" After watching Howard Hawks' 1946 film noir " The Big Sleep ," I have to say that it is not one of my favorite film noirs. That being said, it was definitely the best Howard Hawks film I've seen thus far. It did not have the typical dark ending that permeates the whole film with bleak darkness, which probably made it a lesser noir for me. In fact, it felt more like a 'studio noir,' if that makes sense. I'm not going to go into the entire plot of the film, especially because the entire plot is incredibly convoluted. In fact, this was a major strike against the film at the time of its release. Many reported that they could not keep up with what was happening. I've got to say that, for myself, this was the case as well. I found myself having to rewind to figure out what exactly I missed or who was who. However, upon reflection, the convoluted plot may only add to the feverish intoxication of the film.  Because...
Read more