April In Paris Film Festival – Foolish Wives

Director: Eric von Stronheim

1922, 143 with a brief intermission., NR

Screenwriter: Erich von Stroheim

Cast: Erich von Stroheim, Miss DuPont, Maude George.

Tim Cresswell, Dean of Faculty, Professor of American Studies will give opening remarks before the screening of Foolish Wives.

During intermission, join us for coffee and pastries, donated by the Alliance Francaise of Hartford.

 

Vive le cinema! opens with a classic silent film, with the much-anticipated musical accompaniment of pianist Patrick Miller from the Hartt School of Music. A great farce in the French style, Foolish Wives shocked the Hollywood studio that bankrolled its creation, with Variety calling it out as a “sensational sex melodrama,” and “ frankly salacious.” Von Stroheim’s matter of fact view of sexuality – and attack on hypocrisy – would be one of European cinema’s most distinctive qualities– especially in contrast to films in Britain and the U.S. Foolish Wives stars a deliciously amoral von Stroheim as a faux Count living in Monte Carlo, whose idea of a career is seducing wealthy and naïve women, married or not. Although his comeuppance looms in the future, one suspects he would gladly do it all again…

“a sharp and cynical examination of wealth and the appearance of wealth. Decadent, sexy, darkly funny and visually stunning, it’s a marvelous classic.” Sam Juilano, seul-le-cinema.com.