Blind Husbands (1919)

An Austrian military officer and roue' attempts to seduce the wife of a surgeon. The two men confront each other in a test of abilities that ends surprisingly.

Director:

Erich von Stroheim

Writers:

Lillian Ducey (titles), Erich von Stroheim (screenplay),

Stars:

Sam De Grasse, Francelia Billington, Erich von Stroheim

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Sam De Grasse	...	Dr. Robert Armstrong
Francelia Billington	...	Margaret Armstrong
Erich von Stroheim	...	Lt. Erich von Steuben
Gibson Gowland	...	Silent Sepp (as T.H. Gibson Gowland)
Fay Holderness	...	The 'Vamp' Waitress
Ruby Kendrick	...	A Village Blossom
Valerie Germonprez	...	The Newlywed
Jack Perrin	...	The Newlywed
Richard Cummings	...	The Village Physician
Louis Fitzroy	...	The Village Priest
William De Vaull	...	Man from 'Home'
Jack Mathis	...	Man from 'Home'
Percy Challenger	...	Man from 'Home'

Storyline

An Austrian military officer and roue' attempts to seduce the wife of a surgeon. The two men confront each other in a test of abilities that ends surprisingly.

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Plot Keywords:

alps | dog | mountain | rescue | husband wife relationship | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 October 1919 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Pinnacle

Box Office

Budget:

$42,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Film Manufacturing Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min 92 min 99 min 99 min 99 min (DVD release)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Erich von Stroheim had to agree to wave fees as writer and director in order to make this first film as writer director. However, he still got $200 a week to star.

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Goofs

In one shot, when the wife walks across her bedroom, a spotlight beam is visible on the ground following her.

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Connections

Featured in The Universal Story (1995)

User Reviews

Amazingly simple film

Wow--is this the SAME director that was known for his obsessive need to film and re-film and re-film ad nauseum? Is this this the director who made GREED at over nine hours and insisted it not be cut any further? Is this the same director whose work was severely limited because the studios grew tired of his inflexibility and excessive spending? None of this appears to be the case when you watch this simple film, but all are amazingly true--just not evident in this film. Somehow, von Stroheim was able to complete a film that is simple, a reasonable length and well worth seeing. In fact, he also co-stars in this movie and does a fine job playing an adventurous cad.

The plot is pretty simple. A husband has a tendency to take his wife for granted while on vacation to the Dolemites (a mountain range in Northern Italy). A soldier and adventurer, von Stroheim, sees this and slowly tries to seduce the lonely wife. How all this works out as well as the beautifully filmed conclusion I'll leave to you to figure out on your own. This is a morality play that for its day isn't too preachy and is sure to entertain.