Greed (1924)

USA 239m, silent B&W
Director: Erich von Stroheim; Cast: Gibson Gowland, Zasu Pitts, Jean Hersholt, Dale Fuller, Tempe Pigott, Sylvia Ashton, Chester Conklin, Joan Standing, Jack Curtis

Despite its length, originally running about nine hours, Greed is undoubtedly a masterpiece of silent cinema. Unfortunately all that remains preserved is about two hours of film and numerous production still which have been edited together to make-up a four hour version. What sets Greed apart from most other movies of the silent era is its level of realism by way of numerous location shoots and the casting of actors who were capable of giving realistic performances under von Stroheim’s direction. Unless additional footage can be found, it appears that the film’s true greatness will never be fully realized (Klaus Ming October 2009)