The renowned director Eric, a German immigrant. Feng Stroheim spent 1.3 million US dollars and eleven months to produce this super art film. The origi[Expand All]
The renowned director Eric, a German immigrant. Feng Stroheim spent 1.3 million US dollars and eleven months to produce this super art film. The original copy was five hours long, but when it was publicly released, it was condensed into three and a half hours. Due to the astonishing cost, Hollywood tycoons originally had some complaints about Eric, but later gave up on the film because of its unexpected box office success. The story is set in Monte Carlo in 1919. Eric plays a Belarusian prince who deceives the daughter of an American diplomat and makes a living by exploiting his mistress ---- an ugly maid. Driven by a sadist, he raped an unfortunate idiotic woman. Finally, he was killed and his body was symbolically thrown into a stinking ditch. Eric has a special fondness for naturalism and hopes to present all love stories in his paintings. He specially built the set of Monte Carlo's casino and magnificent palace by the California seaside, and had a very bold way of handling lighting. The images are also rich in sensual and violent scenes that stimulate the senses, and even some of the shots were cut by the electrical inspection unit. In the film, Eric observes humanity with a bitter and pessimistic perspective, fiercely criticizing the corruption and feudalism of the upper class, revealing a touch of indignant and sentimental pity. For the lower-class characters and the deceived women, sympathetic concern is shown, demonstrating a unique "Erich humanitarian spirit".[Collapse]
