The Wedding March (1928 film)

Last updated

The Wedding March
The Wedding March (1928 window card).jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Erich von Stroheim
Written by Harry Carr
Produced by Jesse Lasky
Pat Powers
Adolph Zukor
StarringErich von Stroheim
Fay Wray
George Fawcett
George Nichols
ZaSu Pitts
Maude George
Cinematography Roy H. Klaffki, Ray Rennahan, William C. McGann, Hal Mohr, Ben F. Reynolds, Buster Sorenson, Harris Thorpe
Edited by Frank E. Hull
Josef von Sternberg
Music byLouis De Francesco
Adolph Deutsch
Vernon Duke
J. S. Zamecnik
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release date
  • October 6, 1928 (1928-10-06)
Running time
113 minutes
CountryUnited States
Language Sound (Synchronized) (English Intertitles)
Budget$1,250,000 [1]

The Wedding March is a 1928 American synchronized sound romantic drama film written and directed by Erich von Stroheim. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a synchronized musical score with sound effects using both the sound-on-disc and sound-on-film process. The film stars Erich von Stroheim, Fay Wray and ZaSu Pitts. Paramount Pictures forced von Stroheim to create two films from the footage, the second being The Honeymoon (eventually re-edited back into one film for a re-release). The Honeymoon is now considered lost, the only known copy destroyed in a fire in France in 1959. [2]

Contents

In 2003, The Wedding March was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant." [3] [4]

The film entered the public domain in the United States in 2024. [5]

Plot

The film

In Vienna in 1914, Prince Nicki is the scion of a rundown noble family and is commander of a cavalry regiment.

During a parade in front of the St. Stephen's Cathedral, Nicki notices beautiful innkeeper's daughter Mitzi in the crowd. Mitzi is eating with her family as her butcher fiancé Schani grotesquely spits and embarrasses the entire family. Nicki and Mitzi flirt with each other during the parade. During a gun salute Nicki's horse becomes afraid and injures Mitzi, who is sent to the hospital. Nicki also has Schani arrested at this time. Nicki visits Mitzi at the hospital and later in the pub where she works as a harpist. They begin to go on dates and fall in love.

Knowing of his family's financial troubles, Nicki is approached by a wealthy factory owner to marry his daughter Cecilia in exchange for a noble title. Nicki initially refuses but finally agrees to marry Cecilia. Schani is released from prison and finds out about the relationship between Mitzi and Nicki, and shows Mitzi a newspaper article announcing the marriage of Nicki and Cecilia. Mitzi remains calm and tells Schani that she hates him and still loves Nicki. Enraged Schani tries to rape Mitzi, but his father prevents it at the last moment. Schani decides to murder Nicki after the wedding.

The marriage of Nicki and Cecilia is celebrated. Schani is waiting for Nicki with a gun at the church. At the last moment Mitzi appears and promises to marry Schani if he does not kill Nicki. Nicki and Cecilia get into their coach and drive away.

The Honeymoon

The Honeymoon depicts the honeymoon of Prince Nicki in the Alps, and the wedding of Mitzi and Schani. Mitzi still loves Nicki, and jealous Schani decides once again to kill the prince. Schani shoots at Nicki, but Cecilia throws herself in front of Nicki. Schani becomes a fugitive and goes into hiding. Nicki and Mitzi meet one last time, where Mitzi tells Nicki that she will go to a convent. Nicki goes off to war, where he is killed.

Cast

Music

The film featured a theme song entitled "Paradise" which was composed by Harry D. Ker (words) and J.S. Zamecnik (music).

Production

Pre-production

Erich von Stroheim and Fay Wray on the set of the film The Wedding March Fay Wray and Erich von Stroheim on the set of the film The Wedding March, 1928.jpg
Erich von Stroheim and Fay Wray on the set of the film The Wedding March

Shortly after completing The Merry Widow and having had a bad working experience at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Stroheim met independent film producer Pat Powers and convinced Powers to finance The Wedding March. [6] Stroheim's script was completed by March 1926 and was 154 pages long. The currently available version of the film depicts the first 67 pages of the original script. [7]

As was often the case with films directed by Stroheim, the film's accuracy resulted in high expenses and production value. Stroheim rebuilt huge sets for St. Stephen's Cathedral, the streets surrounding it, various palatial rooms and an entire apple orchard with thousands of blossoms individually tied to the trees. Stroheim defended his elaborate set choices by stating “They say I give them sewers — and dead cats! This time I am giving them beauty. Beauty — and apple blossoms! More than they can stand!”. [8]

Filming

Shooting began in June 1926 and lasted until Stroheim was finally shut down by Powers in January 1927. A reporter allowed onto the film's set reported Stroheim's perfectionism and indifference to time and money, and stated that Stroheim once told his cast and crew that if necessary they would film 24,000 takes of a scene until they got it right. [8] Over the six months of filming, Stroheim shot over 200,000 feet of film. [9] The film's original budget was an estimated at $300,000 ($5,163,000 today). By the time Pat Powers shut down production, the budget had risen to $1,250,000 ($21,925,000 today). [1]

Editing

In January 1927, Stroheim screened the footage for Powers and began to edit the film, wanting to release two separate films to be shown on consecutive nights. His initial cut of part 1 was 25,795 feet long (a little over four-and-a-half hours), after which he refused to cut the film further. Powers took control of the film. Powers had convinced Paramount Studios to distribute the film and, after not being sure how to release it after twelve months of editing, they finished a shorter cut of the entire two-part film in January 1928. Paramount hired film director Josef von Sternberg to re-edit the film to a more manageable length. Studio records show that Stroheim approved of Sternberg, but Stroheim later partially blamed Sternberg for the film's re-cutting. [10] Stroheim's first cut of part two was 22,484 feet. He then cut it down to between 15,000 and 20,000 feet before the studio and Sternberg made their cut. Only 4,500 feet of Stroheim's original cut were used in the final film. [11] In 1947, Stroheim claimed that he had finished editing the first part of the film, but never completed the second part after it was given to Sternberg. He also said that the film's final budget was $900,000 and that Powers and Paramount made a profit from the film, while he was denied his contractual 25% of the film's gross. [12] This statement is untrue and the film's final budget, taking two years of interest, the film's color sequences, and creating sound disks for the release into account, was well over a million dollars. [10]

The Wedding March was previewed at the Egyptian Theater in Long Beach, California the following March. [13] After the disastrous preview, Paramount decided to release The Wedding March as two films after all, with part two being re-titled The Honeymoon. The Wedding March was 14 reels long and The Honeymoon was eight reels long. The first three reels of The Honeymoon was footage from The Wedding March that was used as exposition. Only five reels of Stroheim's original footage of the second half of The Wedding March was used, which amounted to approximately 50 minutes and was only one fifth of Stroheim's original cut. [12]

Reception

The Wedding March was released in October 1928, while The Honeymoon was only released in Europe and South America several months later. [12] It was a box office failure and was released just as silent films were beginning to become unsuccessful after "talkies" had taken over the film market. Variety called it "a ponderous, slow moving production." [14]

Hanns G. Lustig said that the film was "a colored fairy tale. But the colors are poisonous. Stroheim is a hard man. But his toughness shows the memory of the tender falsehood of dreams. And his melancholy revenge for their existence is brutal cartoons. A unique, exciting event." [15]

Legacy

In 1950, Henri Langlois of the Cinémathèque Française gave Stroheim the opportunity to re-edit The Wedding March and The Honeymoon from prints that he owned. Stroheim added sound effects and put certain scenes back in his original order. [16] The last known copy of The Honeymoon was destroyed in a fire at Cinémathèque Française on July 10, 1959. [17] [18] Langlois claimed that the film had "died voluntarily." [12]

The reputation of The Wedding March began to grow after Stroheim's death. Langlois presented the film at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in 1965, calling it a film "like a torso without a head." [16] The film was screened at the 3rd New York Film Festival, where it was mostly received favorably. However, Bosley Crowther called it "disappointing". [19] It was screened at the Lincoln Center again in 1970 and received a standing ovation. [16]

Paramount first released the film on VHS in 1987. However they replaced J. S. Zamecnik's full orchestral score with a new pipe organ score. [16]

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>The Docks of New York</i> 1928 film

The Docks of New York is a 1928 American silent drama film directed by Josef von Sternberg and starring George Bancroft, Betty Compson, and Olga Baclanova. The movie was adapted by Jules Furthman from the John Monk Saunders story The Dock Walloper.

<i>Greed</i> (1924 film) 1924 film by Erich von Stroheim

Greed is a 1924 American silent psychological drama film written and directed by Erich von Stroheim and based on the 1899 Frank Norris novel McTeague. It stars Gibson Gowland as Dr. John McTeague; ZaSu Pitts as Trina Sieppe, his wife; and Jean Hersholt as McTeague's friend and eventual enemy Marcus Schouler. The film tells the story of McTeague, a San Francisco dentist, who marries his best friend Schouler's girlfriend Trina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ZaSu Pitts</span> American actress (1894–1963)

ZaSu Pitts was an American actress who, in a career spanning nearly five decades, starred in many silent film dramas, such as Erich von Stroheim's 1924 epic Greed, and comedies, before transitioning successfully to mostly comedy roles with the advent of sound films. She also appeared on numerous radio shows and, later, made her mark on television. She was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960 at 6554 Hollywood Blvd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erich von Stroheim</span> Austrian-American actor and director (1885–1957)

Erich Oswald Hans Carl Maria von Stroheim was an Austrian-American director, screenwriter, actor, and producer, most noted as a film star and avant-garde, visionary director of the silent era. His 1924 film Greed is considered one of the finest and most important films ever made. After clashes with Hollywood studio bosses over budget and workers' rights problems, Stroheim found it difficult to find work as a director and subsequently became a well-respected character actor, particularly in French cinema.

The decade of the 1920s in film involved many significant films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josef von Sternberg</span> Austrian-American film director (1894–1969)

Josef von Sternberg was an American filmmaker whose career successfully spanned the transition from the silent to the sound era, during which he worked with most of the major Hollywood studios. He is best known for his film collaboration with actress Marlene Dietrich in the 1930s, including the highly regarded Paramount/UFA production The Blue Angel (1930).

<i>The Last Command</i> (1928 film) 1928 film

The Last Command is a 1928 American silent romantic drama film directed by Josef von Sternberg, and written by John F. Goodrich and Herman J. Mankiewicz from a story by Lajos Bíró. The film stars Emil Jannings, who won the first Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role at the 1929 ceremony for his performances in this film and The Way of All Flesh, the only year multiple roles were considered. Evelyn Brent and William Powell co-star.

<i>Queen Kelly</i> 1929 film

Queen Kelly is an American silent film produced in 1928–29 and released by United Artists. The film was directed by Erich von Stroheim, starred Gloria Swanson, in the title role, Walter Byron as her lover, and Seena Owen. The film was produced by Joseph P. Kennedy, who was Swanson's lover at the time.

<i>The Great Gabbo</i> 1929 film

The Great Gabbo is a 1929 American Pre-Code early sound musical drama film directed by James Cruze, based on Ben Hecht's 1928 short story "The Rival Dummy", and starring Erich von Stroheim and Betty Compson. The film features songs by Lynn Cowan, Paul Titsworth, Donald McNamee and King Zany.

<i>Merry-Go-Round</i> (1923 film) 1923 film

Merry-Go-Round is a 1923 American feature film directed by Erich von Stroheim (uncredited) and Rupert Julian, starring Norman Kerry and Mary Philbin, and released by Universal Pictures. A copy of the film is held in a collection and it has been released on DVD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dale Fuller (actress)</span> American actress

Dale Fuller was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in more than 60 films between 1915 and 1935. She is best known for her role as the maid in Foolish Wives.

<i>Foolish Wives</i> 1922 film

Foolish Wives is a 1922 American erotic silent drama film produced and distributed by Universal Pictures under their Super-Jewel banner and written and directed by Erich von Stroheim. The drama features von Stroheim, Rudolph Christians, Miss DuPont, Maude George, and others.

<i>Hello, Sister!</i> (1933 film) 1933 film

Hello, Sister! is a 1933 American pre-Code drama-romance film produced by Fox Film Corporation. It was directed by Erich von Stroheim, Raoul Walsh, Alfred L. Werker, and Edwin Burke, although none of those directors are credited. The film is a re-edited version of von Stroheim's now-lost film Walking Down Broadway.

<i>Blind Husbands</i> 1919 film directed by Erich von Stroheim

Blind Husbands is a 1919 American drama film written and directed by Erich von Stroheim. The film is an adaptation of the story The Pinnacle by Stroheim.

<i>The Exquisite Sinner</i> 1926 film

The Exquisite Sinner is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by Josef von Sternberg and adapted by Alice Duer Miller from the novel Escape by Alden Brooks. Starring Conrad Nagel and Renée Adorée, the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) never given a general release. No known print of the film has been recovered to date. Later that same year a second feature film Heaven on Earth, directed by Phil Rosen was released with the same cast and same sets, but a different screenplay. Rosen's version performed poorly at the box office. Sternberg reported, "the result was two ineffective films instead of one.” The American Film Institute Catalog Feature Films: 1921-30 by The American Film Institute.

<i>His Picture in the Papers</i> 1916 film by Erich von Stroheim, Emmett J. Flynn, John Emerson

His Picture in the Papers is a 1916 American silent comedy film written and directed by John Emerson. Anita Loos also wrote the film's scenario. The film stars Douglas Fairbanks and Loretta Blake and features Erich von Stroheim in a minor role.

<i>Storm Over Lisbon</i> 1944 film by George Sherman

Storm Over Lisbon is a 1944 American thriller film produced and directed by George Sherman and starring Vera Ralston. The screenplay concerns a nightclub owner who attempts to gain secret information.

<i>The Dance of Death</i> (1948 film) 1948 French film

The Dance of Death, is a 1948 French-Italian drama film directed by Marcel Cravenne and starring Erich von Stroheim, Denise Vernac and Palau. It is based on August Strindberg's The Dance of Death. It was shot at the Titanus Studios in Rome and the Icet Studios in Milan. The film's sets were designed by Georges Wakhévitch.

Josef Erich von Stroheim, was an American sound editor, known for his work in the motion picture industry. His father was director Erich von Stroheim.

<i>Sylvia of the Secret Service</i> 1917 film by George Fitzmaurice

Sylvia of the Secret Service is a 1917 American silent thriller film directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring Irene Castle, J.H. Gilmour and Elliott Dexter. Erich von Stroheim worked as assistant director and technical advisor as well as playing the role of the villain. It was given a second release in 1922.

References

  1. 1 2 Kinnard, Roy; Crnkovich, Tony (2008). The Films of Fay Wray. McFarland. p. 27. ISBN   978-0-786-43875-4.
  2. ↑ Progressive Silent Film List: The Wedding March at silentera.com
  3. ↑ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Librarian of Congress Adds 25 Films to National Film Registry". Library of Congress. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Public Domain Day 2024 | Duke University School of Law". web.law.duke.edu.
  6. ↑ Lennig, p. 238-239.
  7. ↑ Lennig, p. 239.
  8. 1 2 Lennig, p. 240.
  9. ↑ Lennig, p. 241.
  10. 1 2 Lennig, p. 244.
  11. ↑ Lennig, p. 262.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Lennig, p. 243.
  13. ↑ Lennig, p. 242.
  14. ↑ Lennig, p. 245.
  15. ↑ Jacobsen, Belach. Erich von Stroheim. Aargon. 1994. ISBN   3-87024-263-9. p. 284
  16. 1 2 3 4 Lennig, p. 246.
  17. ↑ Koszarski, Richard (1983). Von: The Life and Films of Erich Von Stroheim. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 226. ISBN   0-879-10954-8.
  18. ↑ Card, James (1994). Seductive Cinema: The Art Of Silent Film . Knopf. p.  103. ISBN   0-394-57218-1.
  19. ↑ Lennig, p. 260.
  20. ↑ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions Nominees" (PDF). Retrieved August 20, 2016.
Bibliography
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.