Customer Reviews

Erich Von Stroheim's Greed

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Back in 1988 MGM in conjunction with Turner Entertainment (no Turner Classic Movies back then) released this version of Erich von Stroheim's masterwork GREED on VHS as part of their Silent Classics series. The print used was prepared by England's Photoplay Productions the number one restorer of silent films at the time and is based on the original release version of 1924. In 1999 Warner Bros and TCM brought out a 2 tape version of the film prepared by Rick Schmidlin with production photos used to fill in the legendary missing footage. That version weighs in at 239 minutes and while it's great for film buffs to see what might have been, it's easier for the ordinary viewer to see what is.

Frank Norris' novel McTEAGUE about how money destroys the lives of a working class dentist (Gibson Gowland) and his wife (Zasu Pitts in an extraordinary performance) was expanded by von Stroheim into a film whose rough cut ran for 9 hours. The director intended the film to be 5 hrs long and divided into two parts. He sanctioned a 194 min version but MGM cut it down to 140 minutes primarily to remove the character of Zwerkow the junkman as Louis B. Mayer and Irving Thalberg found von Stroheim's treatment of the character too anti-semitic.

Neither version has made it to DVD but when the time comes I'm sure it will be the 239 minute one which would be too bad. As I mentioned earlier the Photoplay version approximates the original 1924 release and is much easier for a present day audience to stay with. It also comes with a dynamic full orchestral score from silent film musicmeister Carl Davis which greatly enhances the viewing experience and it features a wonderful brief introduction that tells the story of the film's tortured history. Grab this VHS version while you can because once the other is released on DVD, this one will disappear except for maybe some Region 2 copies somewhere down the road.

This 130-minute silent film is what currently remains of Erich von Stroheim's legendary classic work which made such an impact on audiences and the film industry in the mid 1920s that it was hailed as one of the greatest films ever made, and it still packs a good punch even today. Known as Hollywood's most eccentric director who refused to compromise, Stroheim wrote, acted in and directed a number of very good films in the silent era, but "Greed" was to be his `piece de resistance'. Being something of an obsessive-compulsive perfectionist, Stroheim strove to transfer a novel to motion picture page by page, ending up with a movie eight hours in length and thereby totally unsuitable for exhibition. It was edited and cut down several times to less than a quarter of its original size and no doubt many fine, dramatic scenes have been lost, but this time credit is due to those ruthless editors who managed to salvage this oversized creation. The final cut presented here by MGM's Silent Classics series can be thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated because it captures the essence of the story without big leaps or obvious gaps which one might expect from such a massive editing job. Along with this timeless plot about people's base quality of greed for money, the stars put in a powerful performance which enhance emotions and make the characters very real, and this is particularly evident in Zasu Pitt's role as Trina: a sweet, vulnerable and delicate lady who becomes mentally warped after winning $5,000 in the lottery and refuses to spend a single cent of it. Her husband and his best friend also undergo drastic changes in character as the story progresses and effectively depicts how greed for money can bring out the worst in a person. While the picture quality is not as clear as many DVDs it is still quite acceptable, and an exceptionally good musical accompaniment underscores all the moods, drama and emotions perfectly. Composed by Carl Davis, the orchestral score covers classical to jazz and other styles which best suit each scene, making this a fine example of matching music to silent film. Thanks to Kevin Brownlow who has produced many such silent film releases in our day, we can catch a glimpse of the eccentric genius that was Erich von Stroheim, and his vision for this grand epic about the dark side of human nature.

The film is quintessential, the VHS tape, so-so.
How come Turner hasn't yet released it on DVD?
There must be a policy of urgency to make all these great silent films owned by Turner available on DVD or Blu-Ray.
They must be seen by any one who is slightly interested in film.

"Greed" is a film I've always cherished. When I was living in France, I'd see it at the Cinematheque whenever it would show up. Although the film was chopped up by studio hacks, it is still quite watchable and the narrative, with its omissions, is stilol perfectly clear. It doesn't require improvement in any way. Why it is that so many foreign countries seem to have versions of the original film, mutilated as they are, and we have nothing and/or show nothing is quite beyond me. There was a "restored" version that added extra still photos and subplots which added greatly to the general confusion but I still miss the version I know so well. The "improved" additions ruin any sense of rhythm and the whole thing becomes a sprawling mess. It's not available on DVD and shame on those who refuse to make it available. Everyone seems so busy restoring whatever comes along, good and bad, and yet this masterpiece gets left behind.

Curtis Stotlar