Erich von Stroheim

Erich von Stroheim , of its true name Eric Oswald Stroheim , is a Acteur and American Réalisateur , born the September 22nd 1885 with Vienna (Austria), and deceased the May 12th 1957 with Maurepas (France).

Biography

He emigrates in the United States in 1909, and starts a career of actor and assistant of scenario writers, in particular near D.W. Griffith on the turning of Birth of a nation , before imposing themselves as director with very ambitious silent films and visionaries, on a pessimistic and cynical mode. As of its first film, the blind Husbands , its obsessions are there: money, the sex, casualties and disabled person, the officer of the army which he often plays itself. That is found in the roles which he interprets thereafter, both in France and in the United States. With Madnesses of women , it brushes a portrait with the vitriol of a company corrupted by the money and the sex. Perfectionist, it requires that the cupboards and the convenient ones, which are not only once opened, be filled of clothing. With the merry Widow , it diverts an operetta and makes a film of it on the orgies in a royal court with disabled person, sex maniac and degenerated monarchs.

Released by the producers of Hollywood who affublé it title of " the man whom you will love haïr" , report/ratio with its demanding turnings which require amazing budgets for the time, it gives up the setting in scene, not being convinced by speaking, and is devoted to its career of actor. He emigrates in France, where he is regarded as the largest scenario writer of his time, with Charlie Chaplin, and will play in many roles with the height of his talent. One of the most outstanding roles is that of the commander to the minerve in the Great Illusion , carried out by Jean Renoir, happy to make play that which decided it to become scenario writer, in 1937. To the sides of Pierre Fresnay, Jean Gabin and Marcel Dalio, Von Stroheim delivers one of its more beautiful services. The same year, Pierre Chenal requests it for the Alibi ; the splendid face-to-face discussion with Louis Jouvet is worth with him only displacement. The following year, he plays vis-a-vis Michel Simon in the Missings of Saint-Agil , of Christian-Jaque. New masterpiece with this role of English professor full with humanism. It is Beethoven in Napoleon of Sacha Guitry in 1954, one of its last roles.

It goes back to the United States to beginning of the year 40, and continues its career of actor with in point of organ Boulevard of the twilight of Billy Wilder, genuine diamond black which does not save Hollywood industry. Buster Keaton, Cecil B. DeMille plays there their own parts at the sides of Gloria Swanson which invests much of itself in the role of Normalized Desmond. As for Erich Von Stroheim, it is disconcerting of truth in the character of the majordomo, former film producer dumb men of Normalized Desmond. It should be specified that Von Stroheim had turned Queen Kelly with Gloria Swanson, in the Twenties. Reality and fiction merge, and the final scene, with the descent of staircase of Desmond Normalized which sank in the madness, believing become again the queen of Hollywood, is upsetting of humanity, sadness and cynicism. Erich Von Stroheim directs the cameramen of the TV and becomes aware of its own misery, him which forever been able to direct films since the end of the dumb man. It is not the actor but the director whose destiny was broken that one sees with the screen.

Eric von Stroheim was an assiduous spectator of the Theater of the Grand Puppet at the time of the administration of Jose de Bérys.

A work visionary and cathartic

On the gigantic budgets that its films claimed, and which caused its loss, Erich Von Stroheim declared: " my films cost expensive because my subjects have much width, and which I want to be most exhaustive possible". Its only error is to have realized these chief-of works in puritan America of the Twenties. The sex and the money are subjects highly taboos, and to show that the human beings are perverted as much by one as by other was a risky company. During the turning of Boulevard of the twilight, Billy Wilder said to Von Stroheim: " You know why you were incompris ? Because you were ten years old d'avance". Von Stroheim answered him: " not, twenty ans".

It should be recognized that Von Stroheim does not go there with dead hand. Example with Madnesses of women  : he plays a Russian officer pertaining to the middle-class, the count Karamzin, in exile with two princesses, in the town of Monte Carlo. In fact, they are all the three of the swindlers sought by the police force. He courts the woman of the American ambassador, and an enormous amount of money taps to him. The maidservant of Karamzin, in love and enclosure with her owner, locks up it with her mistress in a tower and fire puts at it. Karamzin, once saved and eager to escape the police force, takes refuge at an old anarchist, manufacturing of counterfeit money and wants to rape his/her daughter. Surprised by the father, it is killed and its corpse is thrown in a sewer. A whole program.

When it puts in building site '' the Raptors '', it requires to turn in a house where a murder was made, and carries out a seven hour old film. Once again, Von Stroheim saves nothing nor anybody. MacTeague opens a dentist's surgery, whereas it does not have any medical diploma, and tries to violate been engaged of his/her friend Marcus. He marries it, and this one gains a large sum with a lottery. Insane of jealousy, Marcus denounces MacTeague with the police force. Ruined, MacTeague kills his wife to seize her money and flees. Marcus continues it and manages to be connected with him before it kills it. MacTeague dies of thirst, with the corpse with its wrist.

The actress Gloria Swanson proposes to him to put in scene Queen Kelly . In an imaginary kingdom, the queen spends her time walking naked, which aggravates its been engaged and cousin, prince Wolfram, a soldier libertine. In operation with its squadron, Wolfram crosses a group of young girls. The prince with horse greets them, they incline himself but one of them loses its breeches. Burst of laughter in the squadron. Furious, Kitty Kelly collects her undergarment and offers to the prince who falls in love with it.

The censure not letting anything pass, the scenes considered to be too scandalous were withdrawn from the final assembly, and each time the film lost there. For Madnesses of women , it was obliged to withdraw too excessive sequences like the bursting of a button of pus approximately plane, or that where the count, equipped as a woman, batifole with the two princesses. The sanction was heavier for '' the Raptors '': the film never left under the format desired by its author, and was tiny room of almost two thirds. Despite everything the mutilations whose its films were victims, they contain a whole a will of exorcism, a wild load and visionary against the company which generates this discomfort.

Catalog of films

(in fatty films carried out by Erich von Stroheim)

It should be noted that Erich von Stroheim also played theater in the part of Joseph Kesselring, Arsenic and old laces , of 1941 to 1943, before Frank Capra does not carry it out for the cinema with Cary Grant in the main role in 1944.

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