Or so the von Stroheim character begins his flashback narration.
This movie has never quite worked for me. Anthony Mann was a superb director. Von Stroheim was too. And he was a fine actor in "Grand Illusion" and an interesting character actor in "Sunset Boulevard." Dan Duryea was good at playing heals. But he isn't one here, exactly. He drinks too much but we have an idea why.
Mary Beth Hughes is persuasive as a cold-hearted gold-digger. But it never rings true. Stroheim is not sufficiently sympathetic. If his role had been played by Peter Lorre, the movie might have worked. As it is, everything is set up before we even begin to watch it.
This movie has never quite worked for me. Anthony Mann was a superb director. Von Stroheim was too. And he was a fine actor in "Grand Illusion" and an interesting character actor in "Sunset Boulevard." Dan Duryea was good at playing heals. But he isn't one here, exactly. He drinks too much but we have an idea why.
Mary Beth Hughes is persuasive as a cold-hearted gold-digger. But it never rings true. Stroheim is not sufficiently sympathetic. If his role had been played by Peter Lorre, the movie might have worked. As it is, everything is set up before we even begin to watch it.