33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Severely Truncated, November 4, 2007
This edition of "The Joyless Street" is a severely truncated version of the film. It runs for about 60 minutes, which includes a brief introduction. Yes, there are many versions of this film out there which vary widely in length--the only other version I've seen is the longer and more complete Kino VHS--but this has got be one of the shortest. Almost all the material with Asta Nielsen is excised. The disc lists the runtime at 90 minutes for some reason. Beware.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Memorable Pabst Film, Gritty and Intense, May 29, 2002
This review is from: The Joyless Street [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Director G.W. Pabst would later achieve considerable success with such films as PANDORA'S BOX and DIARY OF A LOST GIRL (both starring Louise Brooks), but while his earlier JOYLESS STREET is less sophistocated it is no less effective in its intense and gritty story of poverty and corruption in post-WWI Vienna.
Pabst was particularly noted for his realistic style, and the grainy, harsh look of the film serves well the story of a woman (the celebrated Asta Nielsen) driven to a life of prostitution and crime by her lover's betrayal. Today, however, the film is chiefly recalled as one of Greta Garbo's first major films, and although somewhat occasionally stiff, Garbo acquits herself very well in the role of a woman who contemplates prostitution in an effort to provide for her suddenly destitute family.
Considered scandalous at the time of its release, THE JOYLESS STREET was frequently cut for distribution--particularly in America. For many years the film existed only in edited form; the Kino video release, however, restores the film to its original form and length. Recommended.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
do not buy this version, December 21, 2006
This particular version of JOYLESS STREET is described as running 126 minutes, which is the running time of the best-restored version of the film. However, in actual fact, this VHS from Timeless Video is the truncated 60-minute version. SO DO NOT BE FOOLED. JOYLESS STREET features the stories of two women: the daughter of an immpoverished army veteran and the daughter of a retired civil servant. Both have fallen on hard times in the post-WWI era and both feel responsible enough for their families to compromise their morality in exchange for food and the trappings of wealth. Greta Garbo plays the daughter of the civil servant, and, after she moved to Hollywood and became famous, the film was re-released to feature her, practically eliminating the second and far more tragic story. So, while I highly recommend the fully restored version of the film, I want to warn buyers to be sure that that is the version they are getting. This one is not it.
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