Foolish Wives (1922)

A con artist masquerades a Russian nobility and attempts to seduce the wife of an American diplomat.

Director:

Erich von Stroheim (as Erich Von Stroheim)

Writers:

Erich von Stroheim (story and scenario) (as Erich Von Stroheim), Marian Ainslee (titles)

Stars:

Rudolph Christians, Miss DuPont, Maude George

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Rudolph Christians	...	Andrew J. Hughes - U.S. Special-Envoy to Monaco
Miss DuPont	...	Helen Hughes (as Miss Dupont)
Maude George	...	Princess Olga Petchnikoff
Mae Busch	...	Princess Vera Petchnikoff
Erich von Stroheim	...	Count Sergius Karamzin - Capt. 3rd Hussars Imper. Russian Army (as Erich Von Stroheim)
Dale Fuller	...	Maruschka
Albert Edmondson	...	Pavel Pavlich (as Al Edmondson)
Cesare Gravina	...	Cesare Ventucci
Malvina Polo	...	Marietta Ventucci (as Malvine Polo)
C.J. Allen	...	Albert 1 - Prince of Monaco

Storyline

"Count" Karanzim, a Don Juan is with his cousins in Monte Carlo, living from faked money and the money he gets from rich ladies, who are attracted by his charmes and his title or his militaristic and aristocratic behaviour. He tries to have success with Mrs Hughes, the wife of the new US ambassador.

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Plot Keywords:

national film registry | roulette | uniform | maid | fire brigade | 

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Taglines:

A SENSATION

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

Latin French English

Release Date:

11 January 1922 (USA)

Also Known As:

Törichte Frauen

Filming Locations:

Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,100,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Film Manufacturing Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min 384 min (original) 140 min (Ontario) 107 min (TCM print)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The most expensive part of the movie were the lavish sets, built at Universal Studios. The sets featured a full exterior replica of Monte Carlo, complete with an artificial lake. The total cost of the sets was $421,000. Erich von Stroheim said in an interview that he ought to know what Monte Carlo looked like, for he had been "busted there twice."

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Goofs

When the Count seats Mrs. Hughes at the roulette table, she is wearing a different gown than the one in the rest of the scene.

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Quotes

Count Sergius Karamzin - Capt. 3rd Hussars Imper. Russian Army: Yes-husbands are stupid; with them a woman won is a woman secure...

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Alternate Versions

The most complete version of this film available at present is the 120-minute version compiled by Arthur Lennig and first screened in 1972. This version is put together from two different original release versions: one American and one Italian. While the Italian version had more scenes than the American one, it was much choppier; it's editor simply shortened almost every scene he could, rather than cutting entire episodes to allow the others to play through at normal pace. The two versions also used different takes of scenes (comon practice at the time).

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Connections

Featured in Hollywood (1980)

User Reviews

A Woman and Her Money Are Soon Parted

Three Russian aristocrats lease a villa from which they can luxuriously enjoy Monte Carlo. They are: maid-pinching Maude George (as Princess Olga Petchnikoff), blonde-wigged Mae Busch (as Princess Vera Petchnikoff), and monocled lady-killer Erich von Stroheim (as Count Wladislaw Sergius Karamzin). You should also keep an eye on their foolish maid, Dale Fuller (as Maruschka). Mr. von Stroheim is the film's star, director, and writer. It becomes obvious the trio are really counterfeiting con artists. The gang of three are intrigued by the notice of the arrival of American Envoy Rudolph Christians (as Andrew J. Hughes) and his wife Miss DuPont (as Helen); they decide to strike up a societal acquaintanceship with the Americans, to help provide cover for their swindling. Then, von Stroheim shows Ms. DuPont his stiff cane, and give her bare legs a leer…

Have a great laugh when Ms. DuPont, while applying her face cream, declares she is twenty-one years old; husband's reply he that is a sun-burned forty-one shows he can shave off years with the best of them. Mr. Christians died during the production, and his white-haired replacement, back to the camera, is obvious; with all the expense obviously spent on "Foolish Wives", it's difficult to understand why von Stroheim could not add a little bit of cheap shoe polish to Robert Edeson's head. There are other problems with the story, which was brutally cut down from a multi-hour epic. Still, the studio heads could not cut the neither the length of von Stroheim's cigarettes, nor the fact that his (vanity) production of "Foolish Wives" retains its spectacle.