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Tookey's Review |
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Cast |
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Released: |
1923 |
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Genre: |
DRAMA
IMPORTANT
SILENT
CONTROVERSIAL
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Origin: |
US |
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Length: |
110 |
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A dentist (Gibson Gowland) marries but runs foul of a rival (Jean Hersholt) for the attractions of his wife (ZaSu Pitts).
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Reviewed by Chris Tookey
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The original version of this is said to have lasted anything between 7 and 10 hours, which MGM proceeded to cut in ways of which von Stroheim disapproved. Even in its current, heavily edited version, it can be seen why this is often regarded as a masterpiece of the silent screen; and it certainly has one of the most memorable final scenes in movie history. Acting styles have changed, and although the three leading performances still have a crude, melodramatic impact, they are not well served by a poorly paced narrative and many unexplained leaps of character. The relentless moralising is a bit wearisome, as is the reduction of almost the whole of human motivation to just one of the seven deadly sins.
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