Blind Husbands (1919)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Erich von Stroheim

Writers:

Lillian Ducey (titles)
Erich von Stroheim (screenplay)

Release Date:

21 October 1919 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

An Austrian military officer and roue' attempts to seduce the wife of a surgeon. The two men confront...

Plot Keywords:

Wife | Mountain Climbing | Dog | Husband Wife Relationship | Rescue

Cast

Sam De Grasse	...	Dr. Armstrong
Francelia Billington	...	Margaret Armstrong
Erich von Stroheim	...	Lieutenant Erich von Steuben
Gibson Gowland	...	Silent Sepp (as T.H. Gibson Gowland)
Fay Holderness	...	The 'Vamp' Waitress
Ruby Kendrick	...	A Village Blossom
Valerie Germonprez	...	The Newlywed
Jack Perrin	...	The Newlywed
Richard Cummings	...	The Village Physician
Louis Fitzroy	...	The Village Priest
William De Vaull	...	Man from 'Home'
Jack Mathis	...	Man from 'Home'
Percy Challenger	...	Man from 'Home'

Also Known As:

The Pinnacle (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

68 min | USA:91 min (DVD release) | Germany:99 min (Berlin International Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Company:

Universal Film Manufacturing Company

Trivia:

422 different titles were considered for the adaptation of "The Pinacle". The eventual choice was made by New York exhibitors from a shortlist of eight.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In one shot, when the wife walks across her bedroom, a spotlight beam is visible on the ground following her.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Hollywood" (1980)

Amazingly simple film

Wow--is this the SAME director that was known for his obsessive need to film and re-film and re-film ad nauseum? Is this this the director who made GREED at over nine hours and insisted it not be cut any further? Is this the same director whose work was severely limited because the studios grew tired of his inflexibility and excessive spending? None of this appears to be the case when you watch this simple film, but all are amazingly true--just not evident in this film. Somehow, von Stroheim was able to complete a film that is simple, a reasonable length and well worth seeing. In fact, he also co-stars in this movie and does a fine job playing an adventurous cad.

The plot is pretty simple. A husband has a tendency to take his wife for granted while on vacation to the Dolemites (a mountain range in Northern Italy). A soldier and adventurer, von Stroheim, sees this and slowly tries to seduce the lonely wife. How all this works out as well as the beautifully filmed conclusion I'll leave to you to figure out on your own. This is a morality play that for its day isn't too preachy and is sure to entertain.