An Austrian military officer and rogue attempts to seduce the wife of a surgeon. The two men confront each other in a test of abilities that ends surprisingly. –IMDb
The son of a Jewish hat manufacturer, born in Vienna, Erich Oswald Von Stroheim moved from running his father’s factory to the pinnacle of the Hollywood community as a director, only to fall hard due to his extravagant approach to filmmaking and end up as a peripheral figure. Von Stroheim came to America during the first decade of the twentieth century and supported himself in various jobs before coming to Hollywood in 1914. He was a bit player in several films, and became a member of D.W. Griffith’s stock company, parlaying his experience as a bit player into a job as assistant director and military advisor (he had served briefly in the Austro-Hungarian Army) — he moved into greater prominence in 1917 with American entry into World War I, portraying villainous Prussian officers. He moved into the director’s chair at Universal, where he proved a virtual one-man show at first, providing original story, deigning sets, and starring in several of his own films. He quickly showed a talent… read more
Stroheim's captivating and ambiguous first film as director (1919). Marvellous. I saw the Austrian print available from <a href="http://www.edition-filmmuseum.com/product_info.php/info/p11_Blind-Husbands--Die-Rache-der-Berge-.html">Edition Filmmuseum</a>.