GREED (1924)

Erich von Stroheim’s famous film maudit or ‘cursed film,’ taken from Frank Norris’s 'Naturalism'/Zolaesque novel McTEAGUE, shrunk on its way to general release from eight to four to three and finally two hours, losing subplots & allegorical asides in the process. Yet it survives, unique & powerful as no other film. Fired from Universal early in the shoot of his previous film (MERRY-GO-ROUND/’23) by ‘Boy Wonder’ production head Irving Thalberg, Stroheim found artistic scope at Metro Pictures only to see the company merge into Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer with its new combined head of production . . . Irving Thalberg!* Often chided for its unrealistic running time, as if Stroheim were asking for trouble, serials and prestige items had successfully come in at similar extended lengths: Fritz Lang’s four hour DR. MABUSE THE GAMBLER in ’22; a six hour LES MISÉRABLES in ‘25. Alas, all that now exists of GREED is the scant two-hour cut (most of it in superb physical shape, spectacularly lensed by Ben Reynolds & William Daniels) with various unhappy attempts to reconstruct fuller versions using production stills & panning techniques.* Check out youtube for various editions (with various scores), all with something to say about this blasted masterpiece. Just be sure the print quality is up to snuff. Beware of worn out, fuzzy 16mm dupe prints. What’s left of the story (all filmed on real locations & in real/existing buildings) mostly sticks to the triangular relationship between prospector-turned-unqualified dentist McTeague (a powerful Gibson Gowland), his sleaze-ball pal Jean Hersholt (those shirts!), and frail Zasu Pitts who drops cousin Hersholt to marry Gowland before winning a five thousand dollar lottery that will insidiously destroy them all. The loss of footage makes the decline far more abrupt then Stroheim may have planned, but it also pushes things relentlessly forward in cascading scenes-from-a-life fashion, not unlike story construction in a typical 19th century opera where you fill in missing pieces between arias & acts. (No wonder classical composer William Bolcom gave McTEAGUE the operatic treatment.) Then ending in unforgettable fashion as the two surviving men fight it out over gold, manhood, water and a yellow canary in the middle of Death Valley. This being an Erich von Stroheim film, we really are in Death Valley, and you will never forget it.

DOUBLE-BILL: *No dope he, Thalberg was wise to Stroheim’s obvious talent. If only he could coax it toward a safe commercial property. Something he promptly did in next year’s THE MERRY WIDOW. Listen to Thalberg & Stroheim in the M-G-M projection room as they watch reels & reels of shoes, specially shot to be used as inserts. Stroheim to Thalberg: You see, Irving, I vant to show the Baron has a foot fetish. Thalberg to Stroheim: And you, von, have a footage fetish!

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID: *The last living person to have seen a ‘full cut’ of GREED (best guess the three hour edit Stroheim personally asked fellow director Rex Ingram to whittle from his interim four hour cut) was Irene Mayer Selznick, daughter of Louis B./future wife of David O. & B’way producer of STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, objectively the smartest woman in Hollywood until Hedy Lamarr showed up. Her verdict? It was very long.