Word: stroheim
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...before war-weariness had begun to be epidemic among troops and their homelands. The Germans shoot down a French reconnaissance plane that holds two of the movie's main characters, Lieutenant Marechal (Jean Gabin) and Captain de Boeldieu (Pierre Fresnay). The film almost prompts laughter, for Erich von Stroheim's Captain von Rauffenstein invites the captured parties for a meal before sending them off to a prison camp...
...etiquette of war is entirely foreign to the modern viewer; for the enemy to eat lunch with his victims almost borders on the ridiculous. Von Stroheim, normally in the position of director, pleasant surprises in the role of a stiff captain serving the German Imperial Army...
...There's some hope left. Butbefore we get too excited and lose sight of whythe restoration effort had to occur in the firstplace, just remember what Welles had to say abouthis troubles: I'm not bitter about Hollywood'streatment of me, but over its treatment ofGriffith, von Sternberg, Von Stroheim, BusterKeaton and a hundred others...
...wheedles himself a cushy job editing the epic Norma Desmond has written as a "return" vehicle for herself. His every need is attended by her slavishly devoted butler, Max (Erich von Stroheim), who erases his own identity in the service of "Madame." As the days wear on, a pattern develops: As the days wear on, a pattern develops: Joe learns never to refuse Norma what she wants, and, like a vampire, she seems to gain vitality and optimism as he loses...
Though Holden and von Stroheim are powerful foils to Swanson's persona, Wilder and his camera wisely sweep them to the edges of the screen to focus on Norma. Swanson's performance is something beyond acting; her Norma lives every moment on two planes, in the mundane world and on celluloid. She has a habit of pausing almost unnoticeably as she speaks, giving the effect of a flickering silent film, posing briefly for the camera, then continuing...