Foolish Wives

Erich von Stroheim's scandalous, extravagant masterpiece of cynicism and desire. Stroheim himself stars as a fraudulent Russian count living in luxury on the Riviera, who seduces wealthy American women for sport and profit. The film's budget spiraled to over a million dollars — unprecedented for 1922 — as Stroheim insisted on period-accurate details visible only to himself (silk underwear for extras, real champagne in glasses). Universal eventually wrested control and cut the film from six hours to two, but what survives is still a dazzling, acidic portrait of European decadence and American naivety, filmed with a visual sophistication and psychological complexity that was years ahead of its time. Stroheim's villain is repulsive and irresistibly charming in equal measure — a portrait of toxic masculinity before the term existed.