The Wedding Scene in the movie Greed

[Phil C]

Hopefully this great silent movie (Greed made in 1925) will be shown again on TCM. I saw the short version but really want to see the long version. It should be on in a few months because it has been a while since it has shown. The thing to remember is that it is silent and black and white but TCM does a great job with it and puts in fantastic background music in their silent movies.

This movie is about a man and his wife and how greed tear them apart along with his best friend who was at one time his wife's sweetheart. It is not a feel good movie but it is a great one. The wedding scene shows that trouble is coming in the future. Even when they were courting they went on a romantic walk to the sewer and sat on one of the cemet sewer blocks.

The wedding scene is most devastating. The preacher is performing the ceremoney in front of an open window (remember this is in the 1910s). As he performs the ceremony the background music is Here Comes the Bride but it slowly changes to The Funeral March as you see behind the preacher through the window a funeral march taking place. I can't describe it with justice but it is devastating and one of the greatest scenes ever. Pure Genius!

Let's hope we get a chance to see this great movie on TCM soon.

[pirate44]

this doesnt sound too bad. not bad at all Phil C

[Phil C]

The Silent Movie Greed is based on the Frank Norris book McTeague written in 1899. I haven't seen the long version but I have read that it follows the novel fairly close. The novel obviously takes place in the late 1890s but the movie takes place in the early 1900s. The movie did have a few added touches such as the wedding scene and the scene where before McTeague and Trina get married decide to have a romantic time by sitting on a sewer. Trina says to McTeague at the train station "Let's go sit on the sewer."
I recommend this book to anyone to read. Your local book store should have it or should be able to order it from you or if you wish get it from your local library or an interlibrary loan if they don't have it. The only thing is if it would ruin the movie for you don't read the book till you have seen the movie. I recommend that the longer movie version be seen.

[Phil C]

Regarding the "Let's go sit on the sewer" scene I asked my 16 year old son if he thought it would be romantic for him to tell his girlfriend let's go take a walk by the sewer. Needless to say he thought it was ridiculous. :)

[WOS87]

What a great film.... as far as I know the original film as Von Stroheim envisioned it is still lost to the cutting room floor as the studio forced him to cut several HOURS from it believing it too long to be successful. There's a great site about the history of the film and TCM's 1999 attempt at reconstructing the original for the 75th anniversary of the film's release at the link below:

Greed: The Missing Hours (http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Boulevard/4456/six.htm)

[Phil C]

Thanks for sharing WOS. It is a shame about some of the older footage being lost. The filmmakers didn't have the vision to save it and didn't forsee television and mini series possibilities. Maybe there is a film with the footage locked up somewhere that someone will discover. It has been done before but as time goes on that possibilities becomes smaller and smaller. Thank goodness today's films will be better preserved.

[Phil C]

ttt

[Phil C]

I have posted it before but it is going to be on TCM on July 15, 2007 from 11:15 A.M. to 3:30 P.M. Excitement indeed!