Greed (1924)

Sadly, the original 9 hour version of Greed (dir. E von Stroheim) was destroyed in a fire. We watched a 4 hour version that comprises original moving images as well as reconstructed stills. I read reviewers who claimed that this version is of interest for expert only. I believed them - well, how interesting can it be to watch a bunch of stills? Yes it can! It was surprisingly fascinating to look at these stills, that were zoomed in and out so as to be kept more "lively". I wasn't bored for even a minute: the film grabbed me by the guts even in this 'technical' version. Greed is an impressive film in many ways. Yes, one can complain that the story is overly dramatized and didactic (some of the characters are shamelessly one-dimensional). But to me, that didn't matter. The film's experimental, eerie approach to editing and images was simply stunning: the last scenes, set in Death Valley, two of the main characters chained to each other with handcuffs, are some of the most beautiful/desolate images I've ever seen on film. Overall, Greed is a dynamic affair. It goes from dreamy to realistic and back again. Especially the exploration of urban scenery managed to convey a realism-before-realism. It is not only moods that swing in this movie; in a very successful way, the story shifts from neutral account, to comedy (the intertitles are often very funny), to melodrama and then horror story. Greed certainly has it all, and doesn't lose its coherence in the course of these stylistic and emotional transitions. And do check out the colors - the use of coloration along with the addition of gold in some dreamy frames of gold coins and moving, scary fingers.

The story is a simple one. A poor miner, McTeague, learns the trade of dentistry from a charlatain. He opens his own practice. There, he meets his friend's darling, and falls in love. He makes a deal with his friend, and the girl is his. She wins the lottery, and here all hell breaks loose. Their world starts to revolve around money: to have it, not to have it, to gain it. The wife is portrayed as a greedy devil who takes any measure in order to get more money - she is even willing to sacrifice her husband. The husband, in his turn, is corrupted by his life, as he loses his practice (after he has been revealed as a charlatain) and hits the bar for consolation. - - A few more turns of the story, and bad turns into worse. On a psychological level, the film paints a gruesome portrait of how some unplanned events set others in motion. The film's only representations of goodness are a couple living in the same boarding house as McTeague. They are an elderly gentleman and an elderly woman who have been living in adjacent rooms for a lengthy period of time - and for many years, they have been in love with each other, without taking any steps to reveal it to one another. At last, they confess their feelings. This humble love is shown as simple and unproblematic - a striking moment of the film is the rendition of their mutual bliss in full color.

I have a hard time imagining what contemporary movie bosses thought of this movie. This is not exactly a pro-American cheery movie about the happy rich people with the future in their hands. This must be one of the darkest depictions of money ever made (of course it may matter that the money appeared in the characters' lives 'out of nowhere' but I am not sure how to interpret this.) The film has no happy end nor does it give any redeeming image of money (the carefree elderly couple seem completely uninterested in money.)

If you decide to watch a silent movie - give Greed a shot. The story might be dated, but the style is a thousand times more innovative than any 3D blockbuster produced in these days.