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Foolish Wives | |||||||||||
  enlarge | Actors: C.j. Allen, Mae Busch, Rudolph Christians, Nigel De Brulier, Miss Dupont Studio: Image Entertainment Category: DVD List Price: Buy New: $21.46 You Save: $8.53 (28%) New (9) Used (5) from $11.84 Rating:  8 reviewsSales Rank: 64686 Format: Black & White, Dvd-video, Silent, Ntsc Languages: English (Subtitled), English (Original Language) Rating: NR (Not Rated) Region: 1 Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Number Of Discs: 1 Running Time: 117 Minutes Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1 Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.1 x 0.6 UPC: 014381941425 EAN: 0014381941425 ASIN: B00004W19G Theatrical Release Date: January 11, 1922 Release Date: September 19, 2000 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Shipping: Expedited shipping available Shipping: International shipping available Condition: Brand new Item. CD, DVD, Book, VHS more than 400 000 titles to choose from. ALL days Low Price ! | ||||||||||
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| Editorial Reviews: Description A beautiful reconstruction of Erich von Stroheim's classic silent feature. Publicized as the first film to cost a million dollars, "Foolish Wives" was at once praised for its extravagant visual design and condemned for its portrayal of a rogue count's unbridled and often peculiar sexual obsessions. The plot concerns the actions of the "Count" and two of his mistresses posing as his cousins as they set about separating rich ladies from their fortunes. In every way characteristic of writer/director/star von Stroheim's greatest works, "Foolish Wives" has over time gained a reputation as the great director's other masterwork, ranking second only to "Greed." The film is mastered from the original restored print. | |||||||||||
Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews... Good master of ancient material September 1, 2008Phil S. (USA) Very interesting story of deception among the jet set before there was one. Eric von Stroheim plays a real Count who dishonors his home and visiting country by enlisting two fake cousins in his schemes to extract wealth from Monte Carlo vacationers. When he's not pursuing rich married women, he's "borrowing" from the Housekeeper he has promised to marry. One of the "cousins" is Mae Busch in an early role. Known better as "Mrs. Hardy" or L & H's nemesis in many Laurel and Hardy films, it's fun to watch her strut her stuff: the character is similiar to the one from "Chickens Come Home", from about 10 years later. Great sets, costumes; interesting camera angles; tintype effect. New musical soundtrack is a solo piano, beautifully incorporated. Viewer should know that the film conatins some very disturbing racial content, of course, typical of the period. Shooting Captive Doves March 11, 2007W. Shriver (Portland, OR) Giving a mere four stars to Stroheim's FOOLISH WIVES (1922) may seem faint praise to some. Be that as it may, WIVES is a trend-setting example of grifters gradually losing control of a "long con." For that alone, it is entertaining to watch. Best of all, in Stroheim's character of the fraudulent "Count," we have one of world cinema's first and best sociopaths. The trio of faux Russian aristocrats in Monte Carlo, including the Count and two women posing as his relatives, are involved in forgery, blackmail, seduction and murder. The Count insinuates his way into the life of the lonely American wife of a diplomat, and in the process his own lechery goes to battle with his greed, prolonging the con to an unsustainable length. As in virtually every major film of the silent era, visual metaphor and synecdoche are important to the storytelling. One scene features the Count, a sharpshooter, entertaining a crowd (including his "mark") by shooting doves which are released from small wooden boxes on the ground before they are cut down by gunfire when they are barely airborne. It is the kind of bold flourish that most directors of talkies have shied away from in favor of dialogue exposition. Howard Hawks continued to use these types of "old-fashioned" devices with great success in the sound era. When Jean Renoir set out to expose the oblivious pre-war mentality of the upper classes, one wonders if he had this scene in mind when he devised the rabbit-slaughter sequence in RULES OF THE GAME. Maybe this is heresy, but to me, FOOLISH WIVES, in its 107 minute version, feels complete. That is a proper length for a feature film of this genre, especially when, at the time, this was the most costly film in commercial cinema's 20-odd year history--it needed to be of a standard length to recoup its cost. Possibly the two-to-five additional hours (I've read conflicting information on the lost bits) is as compelling as what we see here. If so,then it is a pity this great director was born 75 years too early to create and produce an HBO miniseries.  Admirable film! February 4, 2005Hiram Gomez Pardo (Valencia, Venezuela) 4 out of 5 found this review helpful Once more the genius of Erich von Stroheim can be appreciated in this superb and mature film. The astonishing handle of the camera and the facial expressions have in him an eloquent and perfect ambassador. Sobriety, charm and exquisite good taste are the real difference. "Foolish Wives" - A 1920's Costumer Designer's Delight May 7, 2001Gelvin (Mississippi) 9 out of 17 found this review helpful My main interest in Erich von Stroheim's 1922 silent film classic "Foolish Wives" is in the use of lavish background sets and the glittering costumes which represent Monte Carlo in the 1920's. I was surfing through TV channels and came upon the Turner Classic movie already in progress. As I watched the rich black and white images, it seemed as if I were looking at an album of old photographs which came to life. I'm buying a copy of this movie because I'm intrigued by the furniture, the use of everyday articles of the 1920's, and the formal dress. And, hey, it's not a bad story, either! BLAST FROM THE PAST December 22, 2000brad baker (ATHERTON, CALIFORNIA United States) 19 out of 19 found this review helpful In 1922, Universal Pictures commissioned Erich von Stroheim to direct, write, and star in "Foolish Wives". His first film, "Blind Husbands",was quite a hit. His second film, "Devil's Passkey", has turned to dust. Prof. Arthur Lennig has edited the clearest scenes from 2 Italian versions of this ancient classic, and for the first time you may see and own the most complete edition of "Foolish Wives" in startling DVD. Green and orange sepia toned sequences alter the mood and story. "Foolish Wives" opens with von Stroheim munching on real caviar and Russian cigarettes as he gazes out of his oceanside chateau with his two female consorts. This begins his story of a bogus European count out to defraud and seduce unwary American tourists' wives. The first film to sport a Million Dollar budget, von Stroheim reconstructed an authentic replica of the Monte Carlo casino on the Universal back lot. A tour of Universal Studios today reveals no trace of this once famous set. I recommend this tale of kinky sex and mild debauchery as it winds down to a surprise ending. Just three years later, he directed "Greed" at MGM. It is now considered among the one-or-two greatest films of alltime. Eventually, Hollywood studios barred Erich von Stroheim from directing any more lavish, expensive epics. They said his style was over-rated. They've been copying and re-inventing it ever since. | |||||||||||
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