Gloria Swanson upstages the other players, but ... is herself upstaged by either Seena Owen's dignity, or nakedness; and the movie belongs to the mellower, nowadays less famous actress, though much of the storyline is given to the cretin horseman, and in a way, for her primacy we should acknowledge the director's craft. The actress playing the orphan Kelly had half of what her character supposed.
The scenes with Seena Owen are healthily arousing, notwithstanding the director's delusions of implied decadence. What Stroheim does is to honor her sexuality, though there's not the contrast intended, because the orphan girl doesn't look so girlish, as she's not helpless either, and if the actress gives a dependable, good performance, it doesn't convince as a brat who is temperamental, but still in need of being awakened; she makes a reasonably good role, but not the one in the plot. The plot is very simple, with the supporting characters being there as needed, but somewhat underused, as the whole Ruritanian world is concomitantly lavishly depicted and merely sketched, hinted to.
Until the debauched horseman's evening visit to the convent, the movie is a funny, light comedy.
So, four things: the movie honors the famous actress Seena Owen, which is shown as well as implied by the director. He doesn't seem to hold this intent determinedly enough; he also appears to have decided for the wrong glamorizing of Seena Owen's sexuality (as already announced by the card about her character being the heiress of her ancestors' wickedness). The plot may be too simple, for the lavish values and underused supporting cast. The orphan Irish girl was good for another storyline.
The movie is like a lavish and sleazy operetta, joyous when needed; the director would have deemed it colossal and decadent. In its lavishness, it resembles a sketchbook.
The scenes with Seena Owen are healthily arousing, notwithstanding the director's delusions of implied decadence. What Stroheim does is to honor her sexuality, though there's not the contrast intended, because the orphan girl doesn't look so girlish, as she's not helpless either, and if the actress gives a dependable, good performance, it doesn't convince as a brat who is temperamental, but still in need of being awakened; she makes a reasonably good role, but not the one in the plot. The plot is very simple, with the supporting characters being there as needed, but somewhat underused, as the whole Ruritanian world is concomitantly lavishly depicted and merely sketched, hinted to.
Until the debauched horseman's evening visit to the convent, the movie is a funny, light comedy.
So, four things: the movie honors the famous actress Seena Owen, which is shown as well as implied by the director. He doesn't seem to hold this intent determinedly enough; he also appears to have decided for the wrong glamorizing of Seena Owen's sexuality (as already announced by the card about her character being the heiress of her ancestors' wickedness). The plot may be too simple, for the lavish values and underused supporting cast. The orphan Irish girl was good for another storyline.
The movie is like a lavish and sleazy operetta, joyous when needed; the director would have deemed it colossal and decadent. In its lavishness, it resembles a sketchbook.