OK, there are fragments of genius in what remains of this film, but the fact is, "Queen Kelly" is unavailable in it's entirety. It can't really be given high marks because much of the film is a reconstruction, and not the actual, intended print. And, even if "Queen Kelly" did survive, is it a lost masterpiece? I'm not so sure.
Von Stroheim was ultimately a brilliant, frustrating director. He is known today for a talent that was ahead of a time, and a decadent, simply unviable approach to film-making that is impossible in any decade or century. "Kelly" is a prime example. The material really isn't up to scratch in the first place, and although Swanson was a good and effective actress, she simply did not have the image of a convent girl, and is quite unbelievable in the role. Swanson famously had Von Stroheim fired as director, saying he was a "mad man". Von Stroheim's decadence on the "Kelly" set involved his usual reels and reels of unused footage, fussy, brilliant camera-work and uncommon demands on his actors. He made Seena Owen walk around literally naked with nothing but a cat covering her privates! And the cat started to scratch poor Owen as it did not like to be handled.
So what are we left with? Well, whether or not you see either the reconstruction on the Kino DVD or the version with the "Swanson ending" (sort of Shakespeare-lite), the film is marked with genius but its just impossible to fully criticise. Some scenes are truly masterful, such as the gorgeous, gorgeous shot Stroheim got of the convent girls walking in the sunlight (apparently ridiculously hard to set up), as are the lush, decadent palace scenes with Owen. But "Kelly" has many faults, and it really isn't what we would call a "classic".
Von Stroheim was ultimately a brilliant, frustrating director. He is known today for a talent that was ahead of a time, and a decadent, simply unviable approach to film-making that is impossible in any decade or century. "Kelly" is a prime example. The material really isn't up to scratch in the first place, and although Swanson was a good and effective actress, she simply did not have the image of a convent girl, and is quite unbelievable in the role. Swanson famously had Von Stroheim fired as director, saying he was a "mad man". Von Stroheim's decadence on the "Kelly" set involved his usual reels and reels of unused footage, fussy, brilliant camera-work and uncommon demands on his actors. He made Seena Owen walk around literally naked with nothing but a cat covering her privates! And the cat started to scratch poor Owen as it did not like to be handled.
So what are we left with? Well, whether or not you see either the reconstruction on the Kino DVD or the version with the "Swanson ending" (sort of Shakespeare-lite), the film is marked with genius but its just impossible to fully criticise. Some scenes are truly masterful, such as the gorgeous, gorgeous shot Stroheim got of the convent girls walking in the sunlight (apparently ridiculously hard to set up), as are the lush, decadent palace scenes with Owen. But "Kelly" has many faults, and it really isn't what we would call a "classic".