Catalogue · No. 11
Foolish Wives
Erich von Stroheim · 1921 · United States · 143 min
Synopsis
In Monte Carlo, a fraudulent aristocrat targets the wife of an American diplomat, weaving seduction, debt, and social disguise into a scheme of calculated exploitation. Around him, desire and vanity expose a world where status is performance and morality is easily bartered.
Critique
Erich von Stroheim’s film is a monumental study of decadence, remarkable for its obsessive realism and corrosive view of privilege. Its lavish design and moral severity turn melodrama into social anatomy. Even in altered form, it remains a key silent work, both excessive and exacting in its vision of corruption.
Technical sheet
- Director
- Erich von Stroheim
- Year
- 1921
- Country
- United States
- Running time
- 143 min
- Genre
- Drama, Thriller
- Written by
- Erich von Stroheim
- Cinematography
- William H. Daniels, Ben F. Reynolds
- Cast
- Erich von Stroheim, Rudolph Christians, Miss DuPont, Maude George, Mae Busch, Dale Fuller
- Production
- Universal Film Manufacturing Company
- Music
- Newly composed original score
Licensing
Screening availability
- Theatrical screenings
- Non-theatrical screenings
- Festivals and cinematheques
- Educational screenings
- Television broadcasting
- Digital platforms and streaming
- Promotional and editorial use
- Licensing of graphic and visual materials
Available formats
- DCP
- DCP with subtitles
- Apple ProRes
- MP4 Screening File
- MP4 Rehearsal Copy for Musicians (silent films)
- Blu-ray
- High-resolution archival masters
Promotional materials
- Posters
- Press stills
- Promotional assets
- Screening support materials
Available subtitles
- English
- Spanish
- French
- Portuguese
- Italian
- German
