The Wedding March (1928)

A young impoverished aristocrat falls in love with an inn-keepers daughter, but has to marry money.

Director:

Erich von Stroheim

Writers:

Harry Carr, Erich von Stroheim

Stars:

Erich von Stroheim, Fay Wray, Zasu Pitts

1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
Erich von Stroheim	...	Nicki / Prince Nickolas von Wildeliebe-Rauffenburg
Fay Wray	...	Mitzi / Mitzerl Schrammell
Matthew Betz	...	Schani Eberle - the Butcher
Zasu Pitts	...	Cecelia Schweisser
George Fawcett	...	Prince Ottokar von Wildeliebe Rauffenburg
Maude George	...	Princess Maria - Nicki's mother
George Nichols	...	Fortunat Schweisser - the Industrialist
Dale Fuller	...	Katerina Schrammel - Mitzi's mother
Hughie Mack	...	Eberle - the Wine-grower
Cesare Gravina	...	Martin Schrammell - Mitzi's father
Sidney Bracey	...	Navratil
Anton Vaverka	...	Emperor Franz-Josef
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tiny Jones	...	Small Woman at Corpus Christi Procession
Elena Jurado

Storyline

Prince Nikki, Lieutenant of the Guard in pre WWI Vienna, is flat broke, but the only advice he gets from his parents is either to shoot himself or to marry money. During the Chorpus Christi parade his horse accidentaly hurts poor Mitzi, the daughter of inn-keepers in a Viennese suburb, who is, according to the wishes of her parents, going to marry the butcher Schani. When Nikki visits her at the hospital, they fall in love, much to the dislike of her parents and Schani. Nikki's parents, meanwhile have arranged a prospective marriage with Cecilia, the limping daughter of a very rich non-aristocratic industrial. Due to the fact, that Nikki's father is a general in the Austrian-Hungarian Army, resitance is useless. When Mitzi, after hearing of it, is still refusing Schani's proposal, he vowes to shoot Nikki when he leaves the church.

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Plot Keywords:

national film registry | love | parade | vienna austria | social satire | 

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Taglines:

Dashing, Impetuous, Insolent. the playboy of Vienna- handsome, well-born, idol of the ladies- Prince Nicki, portrayed by Erich Von Stroheim. Riotous, color-splashed romance of Vienna. (Print Ad- Steuben Courier,((Bath, NY)) 1 March 1929)

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 October 1928 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hochzeitsmarsch

Filming Locations:

Selig Mission Zoo - 3800 Mission Road, Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System) (musical score and sound effects) Silent

Color:

Color (2-strip Technicolor) (one sequence) Black and White

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to author Roy Kinnard, when the original $300,000 budget had ballooned to $1,125,000 after nine months of shooting, producer Pat Powers called a halt to the production.

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Quotes

Nicki: A kiss all around - - and then I leave you.
Asian Girl in Brothel: Are you leaving before old Schweisser's party?
Nicki: Tonight I crave apple blossoms!
Black Girl in Brothel: Apple blossoms! What do you mean?
Nicki: I'm going to meet a *real nice* girl.
White Girl in Brothel: At this hour of the morning?
Nicki: It's when her parents snore the loudest!

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Crazy Credits

DEDICATED to the true lovers of the world. E.vS.

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Connections

Featured in Hollywood (1980)

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Soundtracks

PARADISE (The Love Theme)
Music by J.S. Zamecnik
Lyrics by Harry D. Kerr
Copyright 1928 Sam Fox Music Pub. Co.

User Reviews

Monumental, But Aged

A young impoverished aristocrat falls in love with an inn-keeper's daughter (Fay Wray), but has to marry money.

As was often the case with films directed by Stroheim, the film's accuracy resulted in high expenses and production value. Stroheim rebuilt huge sets for St. Stephen's Cathedral, the streets surrounding it, various palatial rooms and an entire apple orchard with thousands of blossoms individually tied to the trees. Stroheim defended his elaborate set choices by stating "They say I give them sewers — and dead cats! This time I am giving them beauty. Beauty — and apple blossoms! More than they can stand!" Shooting began in June 1926 and lasted until Stroheim was finally shut down by Powers in January 1927. A reporter allowed onto the film's set reported Stroheim's perfectionism and indifference to time and money, and stated that Stroheim once told his cast and crew that if necessary they would film 24,000 takes of a scene until they got it right.

You have to respect this level of dedication, but it was poorly reviewed and I suspect rightfully so. Although now considered a classic and preserved by the Library of Congress, it is aged and not one of the more entertaining films of the era. For me, it is enjoyable to see Fay Wray, and I wish she had become a bigger star. Why is she only known as the King Kong girl? I suspect different copies exist. The one I saw was not in the best condition, and I have to believe a better one exists. This might make the scenery look better and more impressive. I don't know, and I have no intention of returning to this film any time soon.