Foolish Wives (1922)
In postwar Monte Carlo, a bogus Russian count and his two accomplices swindle wealthy visitors while he schemes to seduce the wife of an American envoy, a con that unravels into blackmail, arson, and murder.
Universal promoted Foolish Wives as “the first million-dollar movie,” and Erich von Stroheim’s obsessive detail and cynicism made him “the man you love to hate”; cut down heavily from his original version, it entered the National Film Registry in 2008.
Background
Foolish Wives was promoted by Universal as “the first million-dollar movie,” a publicity claim built around the lavish, meticulously detailed sets and costumes that director and star Erich von Stroheim insisted on. Stroheim plays a fraudulent Russian count preying on wealthy visitors in postwar Monte Carlo, continuing the persona of elegant, decadent villainy that earned him the nickname “the man you love to hate.” His perfectionism and extravagant spending on the production became legendary, and conflicts with the studio over cost and length were common on his films.
What to watch for
Watch for how much of the film’s reputation rests on atmosphere and detail rather than plot mechanics, a hallmark of Stroheim’s directing style; he was known for insisting on authentic materials and furnishings even in shots where audiences would never notice the difference. The film that survives today has been cut down considerably from Stroheim’s original version, a pattern that would recur, more drastically, on his later film Greed. It was added to the National Film Registry in 2008.
