Queen Kelly (1929)

Director:

Erich von Stroheim

Writers:

Erich von Stroheim (story)
Marian Ainslee (titles)

Release Date:

13 March 1987 (Finland)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Prince Wolfram is the betrothed of mad Queen Regina V of Kronberg. Supreme ruler, her word is law and he is a playboy...

Plot Keywords:

Kidnapping | Whipping | Suicide Attempt | Brothel | Convent

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Gloria Swanson	...	Kitty Kelly, aka Queen Kelly
Walter Byron	...	Prince Wolfram
Seena Owen	...	Queen Regina V

Also Known As:

The Swamp (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

UK:75 min (Swanson Version) | Sweden:101 min | USA:101 min (1985 restored version)

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric System) | Silent

Certification:

Finland:K-8 (1986) | Portugal:17 (director's cut) | South Korea:15 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Filming Locations:

FBO Studios - 860 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Gloria Swanson Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Gloria Swanson hosted a US television broadcast of the film in 1966. The version that aired featured the European ending.

Goofs:

Continuity: The positions of the two different groups, the troops and the convent girls, are constantly changing in relation to the shrine on Kambach road.

Quotes:

Kitty Kelly, aka Queen Kelly: [stunned to learn that Wolfram is engaged to the Queen] He's going... to marry... you?
Queen Regina V: *I* am going to marry *HIM*!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Inland Empire (2006)

A Luminous "Queen Kelly"

The restored version of "Queen Kelly' shown on TCM recently was a revelation to those of us who only knew Gloria Swanson from "Sunset Boulevard" in the '50's. Swanson in 1928 had incredibly large and luminous (?green?) eyes, as well as that curiously angular lower jaw still evident in "Boulevard". She seemed fairly tall and almost husky in "Kelly", compared to many women (and men) of the 20's to the 50's who were physically quite small, and looked it in their screen roles. She was lovely in a unique way.

More importantly, I thought Swanson was GREAT in the part. What an incredible range of facial and body expressiveness! Given the restrictions of the plot, and doubtless a domineering director, Swanson did a tremendous job in making her character seem believable. Yes, perhaps she did look older than 18, but in my opinion, she could pass for 21 or so. She certainly didn't look older than her 31 years, as another reviewer opines. Perhaps her sheer acting skill and range of motion were convincing enough to play 10 years younger than her true age. It's done all the time on the stage and screen, why wouldn't it be acceptable in this 1928 film?

I found Walter Byron gorgeous, and strangely modern in his good looks. Not of the now-hackneyed strong-profile leading man variety popular in early films. Instead, he was impeccably groomed and costumed, with short, straight, slicked-back hair. A beautiful sight to behold. He did a very good job within the constraints of silent acting. I'll be looking for more of his work.

The Jan VanHeidt character was almost too-disgusting to be credible, but archetypes were more pronounced in the silent genre. The actor did a very credible job, doubtless under the director's specific instructions about how to convey his debauched and depraved condition.

Perhaps it's because so much of the film was lost and/or cut, but Kelly's acquiescence to marrying the dissolute Jan seemed inexplicable to me. Von Stoheim went to a lot of trouble to give Swanson a L-O-N-G flashback while the wedding ceremony was being read which included the Prince's admonition to Kelly not to "forget him", "forsake him", or words to that effect. Yet she says yes anyway. You have to make a lot of assumptions about Kelly's character and personality to justify her decision, and rationalize in your own mind why on earth she didn't manifest some gumption and say after due consternation and anguish, "No, No, Never!".

This is a technically beautiful film. The lighting, sets, costumes, etc. are wonderful! Well worth seeing, even with the missing film and downbeat ending.