Drama · Crime
American
1924 · Directed by Erich von Stroheim · 140 min
In working-class San Francisco around the turn of the century, a rough-mannered dentist, his closest friend and the young woman they both care about are drawn into a triangle shaped by money, class and small ambitions. Erich von Stroheim adapts a naturalist novel with unusual physical detail and an unsentimental eye.
Why it matters in cinema history
A central work of cinematic naturalism and the clearest early example of the clash between a director's ambition and studio control in 1920s Hollywood.
Watch with intention
Watch it as a study of environments and objects: rooms, clutter and faces tell you who these people are before the plot does.
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