IMDb RATING
8.1/10
9.9K
YOUR RATING
The sudden fortune won from a lottery fans such destructive greed that it ruins the lives of the three people involved.The sudden fortune won from a lottery fans such destructive greed that it ruins the lives of the three people involved.The sudden fortune won from a lottery fans such destructive greed that it ruins the lives of the three people involved.
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
9.9K
YOUR RATING
- Director
- Erich von Stroheim(personally directed by)
- Writers
- June Mathis(screen adaptation and scenario)
- Erich von Stroheim(screen adaptation and scenario)
- Frank Norris(from the American classic "McTeague" by)
- Stars
Top credits
- Director
- Erich von Stroheim(personally directed by)
- Writers
- June Mathis(screen adaptation and scenario)
- Erich von Stroheim(screen adaptation and scenario)
- Frank Norris(from the American classic "McTeague" by)
- Stars
- Awards
- 1 win
Videos2
Sylvia Ashton
- 'Mommer' Sieppeas 'Mommer' Sieppe
- (as Silvia Ashton)
William Barlow
- The Ministeras The Minister
- (uncredited)
Lita Chevrier
- Extraas Extra
- (uncredited)
Jack Curtis
- McTeague Sr.as McTeague Sr.
- (uncredited)
Edward Gaffney
- Extraas Extra
- (uncredited)
Florence Gibson
- Hagas Hag
- (uncredited)
James Gibson
- Deputyas Deputy
- (uncredited)
Oscar Gottell
- Sieppe Twinas Sieppe Twin
- (uncredited)
Otto Gottell
- Sieppe Twinas Sieppe Twin
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Erich von Stroheim(personally directed by)
- Writers
- June Mathis(screen adaptation and scenario)
- Erich von Stroheim(screen adaptation and scenario)
- Frank Norris(from the American classic "McTeague" by)
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
- All cast & crew
Storyline
John McTeague was a simple slow man who became a dentist after working at the Big Dipper Gold Mine. He is now being hunted in Death Valley by his ex-best friend Marcus and the law. His lot was cast the day that he meet his future wife Trina in his office. She was with Marcus and she bought a lottery ticket. Well Mac fell for her and Marcus stepped aside. When Mac and Trina married, she won the Lottery for $5000 and became obsessive about the money in gold. Marcus is steamed as he stepped aside and now she is rich so he has the law shut down Mac as he has no official schooling for his dentistry. Trina fearful that they will take her gold away sells everything and takes all Mac earns when he is working. She adds to her stash of gold as they both live as paupers. When Mac has no job and no money, he leaves and Trina moves. Driven to desperation at being poor and hungry he finds Trina and demands the gold. —Tony Fontana <tony.fontana@spacebbs.com>
- Taglines
- It took two years to make; it gives you two hours of engrossing entertainment. You may hate it, as you hate the dangerous undercurrents of life, but you will be fascinated, thrilled, held spell-bound. (Print Ad-Daily Alaska Empire, ((Juneau, Alaska)) 20 January 1927)
- Genres
- Certificate
- Not Rated
- Parents guide
Did you know
- TriviaThis film features one of the earliest uses of a hidden camera in film-making. When Trina (Zasu Pitts) leaves the junk shop after discovering the dead body, she rushes into a real street and into real passers-by who were unaware they were being filmed. A crowd gathered, police turned up to the scene and it is said that a reporter called in the 'murder' to his editor. This coincides with Dziga Vertov's Kinoglaz (1924) which also used hidden camera techniques for the first time.
- GoofsAfter Marcus breaks McTeague's pipe and throws a knife at him, men pull McTeague's tie off as they hold him back. The tie is back in place a moment later as McTeague rushes out of the saloon.
- Quotes
Title card: GOLD - GOLD - GOLD - GOLD. Bright and Yellow, Hard and Cold, Molten, Graven, Hammered, Rolled, Hard to Get and Light to Hold; Stolen, Borrowed, Squandered - Doled.
- Alternate versionsVersion 5, 16 reels (4,800 meters), edited by June Mathis - According to Jean Mitry who saw it in Paris ("Le romantisme de Stroheim", article in L'Avant-Scène du Cinéma, no. 83-84, July 1968), this version had exactly 4 hours running time. It cut off all derivative stories about supporting characters, concentrating the story on the character McTeague, and adding a number of inter-titles to explain what happened in the deleted scenes. This version was shown in the theatre Studio des Ursulines, Paris, and then the French distributor cut it to a 2 hour film. Cinémathèque Française has a copy of the Mathis' cut - but versions 1 to 4 of the film are considered lost films (1999).
- ConnectionsEdited into Histoire(s) du cinéma: Une histoire seule (1989)
Top review
Greatest Silent Drama
There was a time, and it was only a few years ago, when I found it difficult to sit through a silent film. The exaggerated movements and facial expressions and the over-bearing music, I believe, turned me off.
However, that changed drastically when I watched von Stroheim's Greed for the first time. The film, simply put, is immaculate. The portrayal of McTeague and Trina is fantastic. Pitts and Gowland, without using their voices mind you, create depth and allow the audience to sympathize with the characters. Silence often acted as a barrier between myself and the characters; here, that distance is bridged by the two actors and, I must assume, von Stroheim's masterful direction.
Yes, the direction is masterful. I believe describing it as such is entirely accurate. Innovative may go too far, but masterful just about covers it. The realism (which shooting on locations benefited) is something to behold. This is a story that Hollywood would balk at depicting in 2004; imagine the row that was had in 1924. Von Stroheim never backs away from his unrelentingly grim vision, reinforcing his theme (money is evil) throughout. And then there is the Death Valley sequence - one of the most marvelous series of scenes committed to celluloid.
All in all, this is truly a fantastic film - one that has aged, due to its ability to treat grim subject matter as it should, much better than many of its contemporaries. Also, it should be noted, that this represents a fine adaptation of Norris' novel McTeague. I was a fan of the novel before I saw the film and the film does not disappoint.
Von Stroheim ensured that the spirit, if not the word, of the novel was maintained.
10/10
However, that changed drastically when I watched von Stroheim's Greed for the first time. The film, simply put, is immaculate. The portrayal of McTeague and Trina is fantastic. Pitts and Gowland, without using their voices mind you, create depth and allow the audience to sympathize with the characters. Silence often acted as a barrier between myself and the characters; here, that distance is bridged by the two actors and, I must assume, von Stroheim's masterful direction.
Yes, the direction is masterful. I believe describing it as such is entirely accurate. Innovative may go too far, but masterful just about covers it. The realism (which shooting on locations benefited) is something to behold. This is a story that Hollywood would balk at depicting in 2004; imagine the row that was had in 1924. Von Stroheim never backs away from his unrelentingly grim vision, reinforcing his theme (money is evil) throughout. And then there is the Death Valley sequence - one of the most marvelous series of scenes committed to celluloid.
All in all, this is truly a fantastic film - one that has aged, due to its ability to treat grim subject matter as it should, much better than many of its contemporaries. Also, it should be noted, that this represents a fine adaptation of Norris' novel McTeague. I was a fan of the novel before I saw the film and the film does not disappoint.
Von Stroheim ensured that the spirit, if not the word, of the novel was maintained.
10/10
helpful•419
- jay4stein79-1
- Oct 25, 2004
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $546,883 (estimated)
- Runtime2 hours 20 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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