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DVD Merry-Go-Round
Erich von Stroheim's credit doesn't appear on Merry-Go-Round, though he wrote the story--about a caddish Count (Norman Kerry) in Old Vienna falling in love with a virginal commoner (Mary Philbin)--and began directing the film. "Von"'s obsessive, budget-busting methods had already tried producer Irving Thalberg's patience, and after a few weeks' shooting, Stroheim became the first director in history to be fired from a picture. Some of his footage survives, including an eerie suicide leap from a bridge and the Count's introduction in his absurdly grandiose bedchamber, but Rupert Julian, the undistinguished replacement director, shot the majority of the film. It shows. Stroheim's attempts to place his story within a textured portrait of Austrian society were scrapped, as was a final, deus ex machina suicide. Still, certain grotesque details and perverse twists could only have come from Stroheim's script--e.g., the devoted friendship of a hunchback and an orangutan. --Richard T. Jameson
I'd say the previous reviews covered the various aspects of MERRY-GO-ROUND quite well, but I think there's a few comments worth making on Erich von Stroheim himself that explain why his being fired from this film wasn't as terrible as it sounds. I have tried to read about everything there is on "Von" and especially enlightening are accounts written by people who actually worked on his films. No doubt he was a genius but he's usually depicted as a martyr for his art, crucified by the mercenary Hollywood bosses. The fact is that Hollywood is the only place in the world that could afford Stroheim and virtually every studio gave him a chance to direct. Despite the many years that he lived, worked, and was lionized in Europe during his later life, nobody ever entrusted him with directing a film there.
I'm no psychoanalyst, but something seems to have happened to him when he began directing a film. Read Gloria Swanson's account in her autobiography where she discusses the film, Queen Kelly. Von was perfectly reasonable until filming began, then he lost it. Perhaps Louis B. Mayer, of all people, summed it up best when he said in his later years that had Stroheim been just ten percent more reasonable, they would still be making films together. Everybody knew he was a genius, but even geniuses have to be a little reasonable. Personally, I could never understand why he insisted on making films much too long for commercial release. He understood the limitations very well but Hollywood always gets the blame!
MERRY-GO-ROUND was an attempt to separate Von Stroheim the director and actor from Von Stroheim the writer and producer. Not surprisingly, the results are mixed and film seems like imitation Stroheim. After he left Universal, he managed to direct films for all the major studios (MGM, Paramount, United Artists, Fox) except Warners, and even they discussed a possible film with him. In 1930, Universal hired him back, the first time he worked there since MERRY-GO-ROUND, to make a talkie remake of his first directing film, BLIND HUSBANDS. Again, he seemed reasonable until filming began. Universal fired him when he refused to use a stock recording of church bells but wanted a special crew to record bells as they sound when heard across a lake! Can you really blame the studio?
Viewed most charitably, Stroheim was a genuine film artist born out his time. Today he would be in his element directing controversial mini-series for HBO.
A Tale of Old Vienna
Merry-Go-Round begins in pre First World War Vienna. It is the story of Count Hohenegg (Norman Kerry) who, while pretending to be a necktie salesman, falls in love with a barrel organ grinder Agnes (Mary Philbin). However, he fails to tell her that the Emperor has commanded that he marry a Countess he does not love. It is immediately apparent from even the briefest of outlines of the story that this film bears the imprint of Erich von Stroheim. He wrote the story and began directing the film until he was replaced by Rupert Julian. It may well have been a better film if Stroheim had been allowed to continue, then again it may never have been finished. What can be said is that the troubled production of Merry-Go-Round is evident in the finished product. It is fascinating film with many good scenes, but it is no masterpiece.
Mary Philbin does well in the role of Agnes, particularly in one scene where she is menaced by her brutal boss. Norman Kerry is less effective. The role he plays requires him to be both sympathetic and something of a cad, but his performance lacks any sense of danger. He is far too nice to be a seducer. Von Stroheim would go on to play a similar character in The Wedding March and his performance in that film has just the right mix of dissolute charm and attractiveness. No one has been able to play the debauched aristocratic scoundrel like Von Stroheim. His acting is missed in Merry-Go-Round just as much as his direction.
Merry-Go-Round has good production values with convincing sets and fine costumes. The film is often quite beautiful to look at. According to notes on the DVD, the film we see is derived from two 16mm prints. The resulting print is quite pleasing to look at. It includes the original colour tints and has exquisite picture titles. At times there is quite a lot of print damage and the image is sometimes rather soft and lacking in sharp focus. But for the most part the print looks pretty good. It seems complete and has none of the breaks in continuity which mar some silent film prints. The scratches which appear, from time to time, are never really distracting. The music, which accompanies the film, is derived from the original cue sheet. It follows the action and the mood of the film well. Merry-Go-Round may not be a great film, but it is entertaining and well worth seeing.
This excellent DVD features a wonderful silent film from 1919 and one of the first Hollywood musicals from 1929, when "talkies" were introduced, and although I was expecting two silent films, I was not one bit disappointed. Knowing next to nothing about Erich von Stroheim (except that I had to see some of his work one day!) I watched and enjoyed both films without any expectations or preconceived ideas, and simply cannot fault either film. Blind Husbands is visually lovely, the music is perfectly suited, and it is a poignant story with the morale that it's not always "the other man" who is solely to blame in marriage difficulties. It moves along at a comfortable pace as it unfolds and shows the emotions of each character just at the right moment. It's impressive that von Stroheim wrote... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Erich von Stroheim DVD Release Date: Released the 10 June 2003 Usually ships within 24 hours
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I was just surfing the shelves at Borders today when I stumbled over Queen Kelly on DVD! I couldn't believe it. I have just been getting interested in silent films (I'm 18) and of course I'm a Gloria Swanson fan (who isn't?), having seen her brilliant performance in Sunset Blvd. Anyway, I had always heard rumors about Queen Kelly - the incomplete, forgotten masterpiece. I had to pay a whopping [money] for this DVD, but it is definitely a piece of art and worth every penny. First of all, this film is old. You can hear it creak and moan at times and the orchestra soundtrack has not aged well - let's just say the music is annoyingly intense. But the age of the film just makes it more haunting to watch. The story takes place in the 20s, but you could almost believe it was hundreds of years... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Gloria Swanson - Walter Byron Director(s): Sam Wood - Irving Thalberg - Erich von Stroheim - Richard Boleslawski - Edmund Goulding DVD Release Date: Released the 10 June 2003 Usually ships within 24 hours
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This new release of "Foolish Wives" is said to be longer than previous releases, thanks to the American Film Institute's restoration efforts to salvage some scenes that were taken out before - which probably explains the varying degrees of picture quality at times. Aside from this, however, the movie with its plot, attention to detail and characters are altogether superb and very enjoyable. The first stages of the film might seem to move slowly as characters are introduced, but scenes of bustling Monte Carlo (which was in fact just in Hollywood!) make every minute worth while and enjoyable to watch. There is always some intrigue and suspense as the plot unravels to its climax, and Erich von Stroheim doesn't disappoint in his 'bad guy' role as he manipulates women to give him money while... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Erich von Stroheim DVD Release Date: Released the 10 June 2003 Usually ships within 24 hours
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Everyone has already said it better than I, so simply drop everything...and purchase this remarkable film.
And thank you, again, KINO, for allowing us the chance to behold these masterworks. More Info about this DVD Director(s): Paul Leni DVD Release Date: Released the 30 September 2003 Usually ships within 24 hours
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The silent PHANTOM OF THE OPERA has probably been available in dozens of VHS and DVD editions over the years. Virtually all are based on the very heavily re-worked 1929 reissue, the version almost everyone knows--probably even unaware that it isn't the original release and how unlike the original film it is. In fact, the original 1925 version doesn't seem to exist any longer in a decent print: only scratchy, blurred, grainy "play-at-home" 16mm prints survive. Sadly, the original version contained better camera set-ups, better editing, a more coherent story, more consistent acting and direction, and it runs 107 minutes to the reissue's 92 (at the same 20 frames-per-second projection speed of the period).
