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An American Tragedy

  • 1931
  • Approved
  • 1h 36m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
882
YOUR RATING
An American Tragedy (1931)
CrimeDramaRomance

A poor factory worker employed by a wealthy uncle falls in love with a beautiful heiress, but his happiness and promising future are jeopardized by a previous affair with a coworker he impre... Read allA poor factory worker employed by a wealthy uncle falls in love with a beautiful heiress, but his happiness and promising future are jeopardized by a previous affair with a coworker he impregnated.A poor factory worker employed by a wealthy uncle falls in love with a beautiful heiress, but his happiness and promising future are jeopardized by a previous affair with a coworker he impregnated.

  • Director
    • Josef von Sternberg
  • Writers
    • Theodore Dreiser
    • Samuel Hoffenstein
    • Josef von Sternberg
  • Stars
    • Phillips Holmes
    • Sylvia Sidney
    • Frances Dee
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.4/10
    882
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Josef von Sternberg
    • Writers
      • Theodore Dreiser
      • Samuel Hoffenstein
      • Josef von Sternberg
    • Stars
      • Phillips Holmes
      • Sylvia Sidney
      • Frances Dee
    • 34User reviews
    • 13Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos53

    Phillips Holmes and Sylvia Sidney in An American Tragedy (1931)
    Frances Dee and Phillips Holmes in An American Tragedy (1931)
    Phillips Holmes and Sylvia Sidney in An American Tragedy (1931)
    Phillips Holmes in An American Tragedy (1931)
    Phillips Holmes in An American Tragedy (1931)
    Phillips Holmes in An American Tragedy (1931)
    Phillips Holmes and Sylvia Sidney in An American Tragedy (1931)
    Phillips Holmes, Charles Middleton, and Irving Pichel in An American Tragedy (1931)
    Frances Dee and Phillips Holmes in An American Tragedy (1931)
    Phillips Holmes and Sylvia Sidney in An American Tragedy (1931)
    Phillips Holmes in An American Tragedy (1931)
    Phillips Holmes and Sylvia Sidney in An American Tragedy (1931)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Phillips Holmes
    Phillips Holmes
    • Clyde Griffiths
    Sylvia Sidney
    Sylvia Sidney
    • Roberta Alden
    Frances Dee
    Frances Dee
    • Sondra Finchley
    Irving Pichel
    Irving Pichel
    • District Attorney Orville Mason
    Frederick Burton
    Frederick Burton
    • Samuel Griffiths
    Claire McDowell
    Claire McDowell
    • Mrs. Samuel Griffiths
    Wallace Middleton
    • Gilbert Griffiths
    Emmett Corrigan
    Emmett Corrigan
    • Belknap
    Charles Middleton
    Charles Middleton
    • Jephson
    • (as Charles B. Middleton)
    Lucille La Verne
    Lucille La Verne
    • Mrs. Asa Griffiths
    Al Hart
    Al Hart
    • Titus Alden
    • (as Albert Hart)
    Fanny Midgley
    • Mrs. Titus Alden
    Arnold Korff
    Arnold Korff
    • Judge
    Russ Powell
    Russ Powell
    • Coroner Fred Heit
    • (as Russell Powell)
    William Bailey
    William Bailey
    • Reporter in Courtroom
    • (uncredited)
    Ed Brady
    Ed Brady
    • Train Brakeman
    • (uncredited)
    Martin Cichy
    Martin Cichy
    • Courtroom Spectator
    • (uncredited)
    Richard Cramer
    Richard Cramer
    • Deputy Sheriff Kraut
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Josef von Sternberg
    • Writers
      • Theodore Dreiser
      • Samuel Hoffenstein
      • Josef von Sternberg(uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Theodore Dreiser sued Paramount for misrepresenting his novel by transforming it into an ordinary murder story. The judge ruled in favor of Paramount; Dreiser's motion to prevent release of the film was denied.
    • Goofs
      The first day of the defense's case is stated in a newspaper article to be in October, but the day-by-day calendar in the courtroom indicates it is November.
    • Crazy credits
      The credits appear on the surface of a lake. When each set has been up long enough to read it, a stone falls into the water and the credits dissolve.
    • Connections
      Referenced in Horse Feathers (1932)
    • Soundtracks
      Some of These Days
      (1910) (uncredited)

      Music and Lyrics by Shelton Brooks

      Variations played over opening credits

      Sung by boys and girls at the lake

    User reviews34

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    surprisingly powerful adaptation of the Dreiser classic
    The first and best film adaptation of Theodore Dreiser's classic novel of pointless crime and arbitrary punishment, the 1931 version of AN American TRAGEDY was directed by Josef Von Sternberg, who had just had great success with THE BLUE ANGEL (and who made a total of eight films with star Marlene Dietrich) and who captures the emptiness and isolation and desperate qualities of the characters well. Phillips Holmes, perhaps best known today for GENERAL SPANKY (the strange Our Gang feature film) is a revelation as the heartless, social-climbing Clyde Griffiths, and the young Sylvia Sidney makes a strong impression as the working girl killed in the "accident" that leads to the long trial sequence at the film's end, which is itself a classic of courtroom melodrama. Clyde is represented in court by Charles Middleton (who later played Emperor Ming in the FLASH GORDON films) as a cynical, grandstanding attorney. AN American TRAGEDY still packs a punch today and has a rawness and power and biting commentary on the class structure of society entirely lacking in A PLACE IN THE SUN, the 1951 film adaptation of the same novel.
    helpful•30
    6
    • django-1
    • Mar 17, 2006

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 22, 1931 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • En amerikansk tragedi
    • Filming locations
      • Lake Arrowhead, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Paramount Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 36 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.20 : 1

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