Foolish Wives (1922)

Stroheim's masterpiece

By Cheralyn Watson  Nov 3, 2005

Pros: Story, actors

Cons: none

Erich von Stroheim created several incredible films that showed his unique understanding of the human psyche. While D.W. Griffith liked to flirt with perversity and scintillating topics in his movie, von Stroheim handled the same types of subjects in... a way that showed he truly understood the darker aspects of mankind. He directed and acted in his own movies, and always cast himself as the most despicable character in the film. His universally pessimistic view of humanity makes his films engrossing but a bit depressing to watch. This film follows the story of an American diplomat and his bored wife, who fall into the clutches of a trio of con artists who are pretending to be Russian aristocrats. The Count (played by von Stroheim) attempts to seduce the wife into committing adultery. The Count is definitely a despicable human being, a fact illustrated by his sexual attraction to and attempted rape of a mentally retarded girl in the village. But despite the death of the Count at t Read more Less