I'm doing a little Stroheim festival at home, vhs tapes from the main library.




The Merry Widow
(personally directed by Erich von Stroheim)


The tag line screamed Let Joy be Unconfined! and who doesn't agree?

HRH Prince Danilo Petrovich wants some lovin'.


He is smitten with Sally O'Hara (the Widow), a "sweet little Irish Rose", and he fights for her affections throughout the whole movie.

His enemy in this pursuit is Crown Prince Mirko, a slimy character.

We got military pomp and circumstance, waltzes ("Siren Valse" is the centerpiece), romance, footises, rejected advances, the "Stroheim haircut" is prominent, lust, conniving tricks and plots, backstabbing, theatre shows, parties, monocles and horses.

Mae Murray is Sally, and she got top billing.

As well she should've- she's a cutie-pie!

And very well lit. And very well costumed.
Stroheim honored her perfectly. This film should be seen for her at the very least.

For a silent film the lighting here is luminous. Mae is given a halo of light for most of her scenes, making her out to be an angel, pursued by horny officers.

Danilo is a prince, so he is duty bound to the powers that be:
A Prince belongs to the State, body and soul.

But he wants to get jiggy with it BAD, so he fools Sally into thinking he's just a regular guy.

He becomes one at the end, when...



Mirko spends the whole movie looking like the slimiest piece of shit ever, constantly working to fuck Danilo up.

WATCH IT!