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BFI Film Classics
Greed
Greed was to have been Erich von Stroheim's masterwork, but his immense plans were his undoing. This volume reconstructs the history of the film. Each volume in the BFI Film Classics series contains a personal commentary on the film, a brief production history and a detailed filmography.
- GenresFilmNonfiction
73 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1993
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 28, 2020
In what must be the speediest turnaround from the time I acquire a book to the time I read and review it, I present to you Greed by Jonathan Rosenbaum, part of the BFI [British Film Institute] Film Classics series. Still on a "Greed" high after watching both versions of this silent classic and posting a review of the shooting script earlier this month, I managed to find this short film analysis originally published in 1993. None of this book's short text (62 pages) duplicates what is found in the shooting script edition.
I was most enthralled with the comparisons between the Frank Norris novel McTeague, after which "Greed" was based, and the movie itself. Director Erich von Stroheim had a reputation for portraying realism on film and maintaining undying loyalty to the letter of Norris's text, yet the author outlined convincing evidence of directorial artistic licence. Rosenbaum played the role of forensic investigator in finding out, to the best of his ability, who was most likely to have made certain edits as the film was shuffled around from editor to editor and pared down to a version just over two hours long. The book also covered the legacy of "Greed" and the myths around it, especially as its original version ran for close to nine hours and is considered one of Hollywood's greatest lost films. Some of the original reviews were included, and film critics were not kind.
As for the book's formatting, I had difficulty reading the tiny text and all text rendered in italics was illegible without a magnifying glass, as well as the endnotes which were in microfont. The cover was a sturdy glossy cardboard and the pages were rather thick; so much so that it always felt as if I was turning more than just one page as I read it. With such an unpliable cover it was hard to hold the book comfortably, even though the dimensions were only slightly larger than a standard pocketbook.
I was most enthralled with the comparisons between the Frank Norris novel McTeague, after which "Greed" was based, and the movie itself. Director Erich von Stroheim had a reputation for portraying realism on film and maintaining undying loyalty to the letter of Norris's text, yet the author outlined convincing evidence of directorial artistic licence. Rosenbaum played the role of forensic investigator in finding out, to the best of his ability, who was most likely to have made certain edits as the film was shuffled around from editor to editor and pared down to a version just over two hours long. The book also covered the legacy of "Greed" and the myths around it, especially as its original version ran for close to nine hours and is considered one of Hollywood's greatest lost films. Some of the original reviews were included, and film critics were not kind.
As for the book's formatting, I had difficulty reading the tiny text and all text rendered in italics was illegible without a magnifying glass, as well as the endnotes which were in microfont. The cover was a sturdy glossy cardboard and the pages were rather thick; so much so that it always felt as if I was turning more than just one page as I read it. With such an unpliable cover it was hard to hold the book comfortably, even though the dimensions were only slightly larger than a standard pocketbook.
February 4, 2015
A volume in the BFI film classics series on specific films.
Rosenbaum's book on Erich von Stroheim's 1924 movie Greed -- a major work I have yet to be able to see -- compares what he calls four "texts": the novel McTeague by Frank Norris, which the film is an "adaptation" of; the original (lost) film as it was made by von Stroheim, some twelve hours or 42 reels long, represented by its screenplay; the 10 reel version which was edited and released by MGM; and the imaginary conception which is (according to the author) to be found in most cinema histories and discussions of the film. While I knew some of this, having read (a long time ago) the Curtiss biography of von Stroheim, there was much I didn't realize (or had forgotten). The film is often discussed as a "close" adaptation of the book, page by page as some reviewers write, but in fact the first quarter of the film was made up by von Stroheim and takes place before the beginning of the novel. He ends by discussing the influence of the film on later directors.
Rosenbaum's book on Erich von Stroheim's 1924 movie Greed -- a major work I have yet to be able to see -- compares what he calls four "texts": the novel McTeague by Frank Norris, which the film is an "adaptation" of; the original (lost) film as it was made by von Stroheim, some twelve hours or 42 reels long, represented by its screenplay; the 10 reel version which was edited and released by MGM; and the imaginary conception which is (according to the author) to be found in most cinema histories and discussions of the film. While I knew some of this, having read (a long time ago) the Curtiss biography of von Stroheim, there was much I didn't realize (or had forgotten). The film is often discussed as a "close" adaptation of the book, page by page as some reviewers write, but in fact the first quarter of the film was made up by von Stroheim and takes place before the beginning of the novel. He ends by discussing the influence of the film on later directors.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews