【Movie introduction】:
The 1924 "Greed" is Eric. Feng. Director Strohheim’s most prestigious work, adapted from the naturalistic novel "McTiger", originally lasted more than nine hours, but was cut to 140 minutes by MGM when it was finally released, so that the director I don't recognize it (this is one of the biggest tragedies in film history), even this incomplete film has been voted as one of the greatest since the film was born many times.
【Synopsis】:
The story mainly describes Mike. Teague, a kind dentist, and Marcus. Schöller’s cousin got married, but the friends turned against each other because of the five-thousand dollar lottery ticket, Mike. After being unemployed, Teague gradually became rude and cruel under the influence of alcoholism and poverty, and eventually became a fugitive. His former friend Scholer followed his footsteps all the way, and the two finally fought a desperate duel in Death Valley. .
[Video shooting]:
"Greed" was the only film that did not use a studio at the time. The gold mine at the beginning was reopened for shooting. Strohheim arranged the room exactly as described by the original author, using only a few lights when shooting. Taking full advantage of the sunlight coming in through the window, an excellent photographic effect was obtained. In order for the actor to enter the role, the actor is required to live in this house (this move was approved by the studio, because the company saved a lot of hotel expenses).
Strohheim insisted on reaching the real Death Valley in California. It was 1923. There were no roads and no hotels. The temperature was 120 degrees Fahrenheit. The camera had to use ice towels to cool down. Some members rebelled, while others complained. Mu slept with his pistol. When his two actors were filming the death struggle scene, he screamed: "Fight, fight, hate your opponent, just like you hate me. "
[Director's Statement]:
When I started making "Greedy", the slogan of Godwin's company was "The author and the script decide everything." I was given the absolute right to make the film the way the writer wanted it. However, when I was editing this film, Goldwin became MGM, and Owen Salburg became the new general manager. Their slogan became "The producer decides everything." I quickly realized that, Since Saarburg and I often have conflicts at Universal, this change indicates that it is not good for me. The head of Saarburg and MGM, Louis B. Meyer, ignored the author and me, and the requests of the past Godwin company. In fact, Meyer tried his best to make me understand that I was just an employee in a big trousers factory (incidentally, this is still trousers that can be worn by three generations).
MGM gave it to an editor, a man who earned thirty dollars a week. He was empty in his head, only to welcome it. He ruined all my work for the past two years. During the past two years, I pledged my house, my car, and my life insurance policy to maintain my job, because I neither got a penny from script writing nor film editing. In fact, I All I get is a fixed amount of money. If I made "Greed" in only two weeks instead of nine months, it would still be the same amount of money.
When MGM made vulgar comedies and boring slapstick films with 14 long films, my film, a serious work, was cut to nine, at most ten, and the rest of the film was burned. , In order to extract silver grains worth forty-three cents from it.
Many years later, when Strauchen saw this mutilated version in Paris, he wept and said, "For me, it's like seeing a mutilated corpse. In a small coffin, only Seeing that it was covered with dust and smelling a terrible smell, all I found was a small spine here and a broken scapula there."
【Evaluation】:
"Greedy" is a movie about the protagonist Mike. The personal epic of Teague's tragic fate. The author restores the rough working-class life in the new American city, and very meticulously portrays the process of a gentle and innocent soul becoming a thug under the influence of family inheritance and social environment, whether it is The naturalistic aesthetics and shooting techniques of the film are unparalleled feats in the history of film.
[Screening at the time]:
The original movie is more than nine hours long and has only been seen by twelve people (there is no lunch or other break during the screening, and Strohheim sits meticulously from beginning to end, serving as a role model for others), two well-known authors I often write articles about the strong impression left on them.
In order to prevent the film from being damaged, Strohheim personally participated in the editing. He planned to divide the film into two parts, but MGM ignored it and transferred it to another editor to cut it to the length of the so-called commercial film.
The box office value of the film was a great failure, because apart from the fragmented plot, MGM would not advertise it.
The current four-hour version was completed by restoration expert Rick Schmidling based on still photos of the shooting process and more than three hundred pages of original script.
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