Greed (film, 1924)

The film script by Erich von Stroheim wrote based on the story by Frank Norris “McTig. San Francisco Story ”, which takes place at the very end of the 19th century . The director attentive to details, in order not to spend money on costumes and other entourage of that time, transferred the action to the 20s of the 20th century.

Stroheim began preparations for the shooting at the very end of 1922 , shortly after his transition from Universal to Goldwyn Pictures ; at the same time he chose actors with special care, not only for the main roles. “It is not difficult to notice,” Stroheim wrote, “that I use the same actors and actresses all the time, if possible. When I needed Gibson Gowland for the role of McTig, it turned out that he was in Scotland. I summoned him, because none of the actors matched as accurately as he described the appearance and character of the hero. When I wanted to use Cesare Gravina, I learned that he and his wife, a singer, had left for Argentina. He also had to return. ” ^[1]

For the film, two houses were bought in San Francisco , in the same block where, according to Norris, McTig lived. The director has kept the atmosphere untouched and even dirt and cobwebs. During the shooting, no artificial scenery was used, in particular, the final episode of the film was filmed in Death Valley; Stroheim recalled this: “We were the first white men (41 men, one women) who penetrated this lowest trough of the earth, after the settlers. We worked both in the shade and without the shade at a temperature of 142 degrees Fahrenheit ^[2] ” ^[3] .

After the first working review of the version, mounted personally by the Stroheim and which lasted about 9 hours, the management of the company demanded that the film be shortened several times. Stroheim partially cut the film, from 42 reels to 24, but refused further cuts. Rex Ingram cut the film to 18 reels, and in the end the studio itself cut the film for hire to 10 reels. Stroheim refused to even watch this version of Greed, and in print declared that he did not recognize the film as his own ^[4] . Nevertheless, even in this form, the film entered the golden fund of world cinema; in particular, according to the results of the authoritative poll of 1958, he was among the twelve best films of all times and peoples ^[3] .

While cutting, some storylines fell out of the film, including the story of Zerkov ( Cesare Gravina ), who, suspecting the cleaning woman Maria ( Dale Fuller ), had significant savings, kills her and, without finding any savings, ends her life by suicide.

The original version of "Greed" seems to have been lost - in any case, many years of attempts to find it have not been crowned with success. Currently, two versions of the film are being published: mounted by the studio, lasting 145 minutes (there is an even shorter - 102 minutes), and the so-called “restored” - 4-hour version, which represents a partial restoration of the author with the help of preserved photographs and captions ^{[5 ]} . This version, created in 1999 by Turner Entertainment using Stroheim's episodic designs that guided him during the filming ^[1] , gives at least an idea of ​​the author's intent.

In a small town in California lives John McTig ( Gibson Gowland ). The son of a miner, he also works in the mine, plays the accordion, loves birds, but he does not like work. A dentist Potter arrives in the town of San Francisco and announces a competition for the best dentist. After winning the competition, McTig, along with Potter, goes to San Francisco and, while remaining self-taught, opens his own dental office.

From the same town in San Francisco arrives an old friend of Maktiga Markus ( Jean Hersholt ); his bride Trine ( Cez Pitts ) needs the help of a dentist, and Marcus leads her to McTeigh. At his office, they encounter a lottery ticket seller; despite the dissuasions of Marcus, who considers every lottery to be a hoax, Trina buys one ticket.

McTig falls in love with Trina, and Marcus easily gives up his bride. On the wedding day, the newlyweds learn that Trina won $ 5,000 in the lottery, while a fortune. Marcus bitterly regrets that he conceded the bride to McTeigh along with such a significant capital; he is trying to present his rights to the part of Trina won, but the spouses do not want to share with him, and Marcus, in retaliation, informs the police that his friend is practicing without a diploma.

McTig loses her profession, and in Trine, wealth awakens greed, which gradually supersedes all other feelings in her soul; having bought gold coins with money won, she goes through and cleans them for hours, hiding from her husband, and does not want to spend money even though her husband is out of work - on this basis quarrels between spouses are increasingly occurring. McTig tries to steal money, but watchful Trina searches him ...

McTig begins to drink, gradually descends and eventually, abandoned by Trina, becomes a vagabond. Trina, not wanting to spend money even for her own needs, gets a job as a cleaner.

In distress, McTig remembers Trine and money, and greed also wakes up in him. Trying to take Trina's money, McTig inadvertently kills her; he takes the bloodied bag of money and goes back to his native town to get a job in the mine again. But Marcus learns what happened, becoming the deputy sheriff.

McTig is trying to take refuge in Death Valley , in which only a few dared venture; but Marcus follows him. They are found in the wilderness, thirsty; in the ensuing struggle, McTig wins, he gets all the gold; but he cannot get out of the desert of McTig: he is handcuffed to the slain Marcus.

• Gibson Gowland - McTig
• Seyz Pitts - Trina
• Gene Hersholt - Marcus
• Dale Fuller - Maria
• Tempe Pigott - McTeigh's mother
• Jack Curtis - McTeigh's father (not in credits)
• Silvia Ashton - Mommer Zippe
• Chester Conklin - Popper Zippe
• Joan Standing - Selina
• Cesare Gravina - Zerkov
• Erich von Ritzzo - doctor "without pain" Potter (in the credits not specified)
• Frank Haze - Grannis, Vet (Uncredited)
• Erich von Stroheim - seller of balloons (not in the credits)

• Erich von Stroheim - director and screenwriter
• William H. Daniels - Operator
• Ben F. Reynolds - Operator
• William Ext - composer

Producer : Irving Talberg

• Arthur Lennig. Stroheim. - Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky, 2000. - ISBN 0-8131-2138-8 . (eng.)
• Herman G. Weinberg. The following are the original screenplay plus 52 production stills. - NY: ARNO Press, 1972. - ISBN 0-4050-3925-5 . (eng.)

1. S. V. Komarov . The history of foreign cinema. Volume 1. Silent movie . - M .: "Art", 1965.