Erich von Stroheim
Femmine folli

Hello, this time we are talking about “Foolish Wives” by Erich von Stroheim, his most ambitious and expensive film.

A melodrama with strong colors from 1921 that caused scandal and noise.

The film was "trimmed" by 30 minutes by censorship scissors, going from 120 to 90 minutes.

Erich von Stroheim, an Austrian director, screenwriter, and actor who emigrated to America like the directors of the other films already reviewed here, is a truly interesting, fascinating character.

In this film, he is the protagonist, Sergius Karamzin, a self-proclaimed exiled Russian aristocrat, after the end of World War I in Monte Carlo.

He lives in a splendid villa with his two "countess" cousins, the unscrupulous Olga (Maude George) and Vera (Mae Bush).

The newspaper says that the American diplomat Andrew J. Hughes, very wealthy and accompanied by a young and beautiful wife, is about to visit...

Sergius, an unforgettable character, extremely determined, bold, and proud, targets the couple like a formidable bloodhound, and in particular, he will try to seduce the wife for his own benefit.

The splendid setting of Monte Carlo thus serves as a backdrop to this grim and sordid melodrama, and to understand why the film cost so much (one million dollars at the time), just observe the initial outdoor scenes, with horse-mounted janissaries, countless extras, carts, carriages, and whatnot in a frantic bustle around the luxury of the principality.

To justify the film's cost are also the sequences shot in various locations, hotels, the casino, interior/exterior daytime and nighttime scenes, the river, the rain…

Sumptuous.

Scandalous film, as we said. It is appropriate, however, to point out once more that, especially for films almost a hundred years old, it is crucial to immerse oneself as much as possible in the customs, ethics, and dominant morality of the era. Only then will it be possible to understand at least a little of the boldness of this film.

As for the more salacious and, if you will, ignoble aspect, the one for which the censorship axe came down mercilessly on the film, I won't say what it's about, but it's something that would still outrage us today.

And yet Sergius never manages to come across as unlikeable; on the contrary, it's impossible not to admire his audacity, his grit, and why not, his absolute ruthlessness.

Another aspect that struck me and that I am elevating to a common denominator for these very old films is the presence of truly hilarious moments. I mean, perhaps we think that once the formal rigor that permeated interpersonal relationships between individuals did not allow for "comedic moments." Not at all. The comedic drive is also present in this film, and I must note that it is of excellent quality; in fact, it peeks through in the most highly dramatic aspects and perhaps this was also a reason for scandal…

Almost forgot to mention that this film, like Murnau's Faust, is silent, with few subtitles and no soundtrack, but I must tell you that after the initial shock of the first one, I am already getting used to it.

Give it a try.