Foolish Wives (1922)
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Foolish Wives (1922) was Erich von Stroheim’s third feature for Universal, serving as both film director and star in a classic silent drama comprised of seduction and extortion. Upon its release in 1922, the film was advertised as the “first million-dollar movie” and promised a legendary performance by von Stroheim, drawing fixated attention from American news outlets and audiences alike.

As artistically brilliant as it is gleefully perverse, Foolish Wives is Erich von Stroheim`s epic-scale account of an American diplomat`s wife (Miss. Dupont) who falls under the spell of a phony Russian Count (von Stroheim). With his trademark eye for visual metaphor and gritty detail, von Stroheim infuses the aristocratic splendor of Monte Carlo (rebuilt in all its majesty on the Universal backlot) with an air of moral depravity. The result is a Grimm`s fairytale romance that is no less fascinating today than it was 80 years ago.

The Man You Loved to Hate blends revealing interviews, rare photographs and clips from von Stroheim's legendary and lesser-known works to create a fascinating tribute to one of American cinema`s most complex artists.