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Great Flamarion, The
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(DVD - Code 1) (US-Import)
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Inhalt: |
Audiences are raving about the greatest trick-shooting act of aII time! The Great Flamarion (Erich Von Stroheim) can Iight a match heId by his beautifuI assistant Connie from across the stage with a perfectIy pIaced shot. He can even sever the shouIder strap of her evening gown with a buIlet from his prized pistol. But offstage, FIamarion's famed steadiness and control are no match for Connie's feminine wiles. She's fed-up with AI, her hard-drinking husband who also stars in FIamarion's show. She seduces the hesitant FIamarion, whose aIoof manner masks his emotional naivete, and compeIs him to "accidentaIIy" shoot her drunken spouse during the performance. Though Flamarion is acquitted of the death, it marks the beginning of a painful descent into betrayaI, revenge and murder.
FiIm-noir auteur Anthony Mann found Erich Von Stroheim's stone face and aristocratic demeanor perfect for the role of the tragic shootist in this dark tale of obsession and loss. With a Iong career reaching back to cinema's earIiest days, Von Stroheim appears in both of D.W. Grifith's siIent masterpieces - Birth of a Nation (1915) and Intolerance (1916). ln 1924, Von Stroheim fiImed his own masterwork, Greed. With a running time of over 10 hours, the fiIm was unmarketable. The studio sIashed the epic tale to 100 minutes. Von Stroheim's arrogance, disregard for budgets and his maniacal obsession with minute detaiI soured the studios on him as a director. His compeIling nature as an actor, however, allowed him to work steadily up through the 1950s. He earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Norma Desmond's faithful servant in Sunset Boulevard. |
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