Prepare to be scandalized as we dive into Erich von Stroheim's 1922 silent movie, "Foolish Wives." This film has enough drama to make today's reality TV look weak. Von Stroheim directed and starred in this lavish tale about deception on the glamorous French Riviera. The plot follows a fake Russian count, Sergei, conning wealthy American tourists, and it had critics' eyebrows raised from day one. It's the most expensive film of its time and took over two years to shoot.
The Charm of Old Hollywood: Ever wonder why old Hollywood films are timeless? "Foolish Wives" shows the craftsmanship and meticulous detail you don’t see anymore. These days, it's all CGI explosions and recycled plots. But von Stroheim's film employed actual engraved glass and detailed sets that make today's meticulous habits look lazy.
Ahead of Its Time: If you’ve seen modern films play with extended allusions to crooks and charlatans, it owes much to "Foolish Wives." The characters' moral ambiguity wasn't the norm back in 1922. You could say it was both revolutionary and unpopular with the morality police.
Intrigue and Glamour: In an era where stories were simple—hero, villain, damsel—"Foolish Wives" reshuffled that deck. Von Stroheim played Count Karamzin, a con artist whose charm makes things too chaotic to predict. Sounds familiar in today’s age of anti-heroes, right?
Lavish Production: The film's production cost around a million dollars, a sum that dwarfs in comparison to today's standards but was enormous for the time. His sets were so over-the-top that he'd fit right into today's ridiculously affluent culture of excess and waste.
Art or Propaganda: People argue about what von Stroheim was aiming for—high art or just scandalous spectacle? However, you can’t argue the film was steeped in detail and could be a fine political comment on greed and materialism. He exposed the rotten nature underneath the dazzling parties.
Public Reaction: It was met with enthusiasm from audiences but criticized heavily by the overseers. Those guardians of public morality felt the film’s shameless decadence was more than audiences could handle. Ironically, that kind of outrage serves to feed its fame.
Cultural Impact: If you think cinema has a cultural impact today, imagine the madness "Foolish Wives" stirred in 1920s America. Its challenging narrative forced viewers to ask complex questions about morality and identity—points often lost in today’s political discourse.
Censorship Battles: Due to its daring narrative and the provocations presented, "Foolish Wives" was significantly edited down. It touched on taboos that were like free ammunition for the censors, yet each cut seemed to satisfy only temporarily. These days we'd call it 'pushing the boundaries.'
Character Study: Each character reveals a different facet of greed and vanity, from Karamzin’s masked malevolence to the distracted tourists. You could argue that this is an early examination of societal rot, long before we started poking holes in today's social fabric.
The More Things Change: Today, con artists and lavish lifestyles are theme parks for film. “Foolish Wives” was a pioneer, laying a blueprint of debauchery that’s been refined ever since. Hollywood has certainly learned how to turn vice into profit, but this cinematic gem remains an essential look at how it all began.