Foolish Wives / The Man You Loved to Hate

As artistically brilliant as it is gleefully perverse, Foolish Wives is Erich von Stroheim's epic-scale account of an American diplomat's wife (Miss. Dupont) who falls under the spell of a phony Russian Count (von Stroheim). With his trademark eye for visual metaphor and gritty detail, von Stroheim infuses the aristocratic splendor of Monte Carlo (rebuilt in all its majesty on the Universal backlot) with an air of moral depravity. The result is a Grimm's fairytale romance that is no less fascinating today than it was 80 years ago.

The Man You Loved To Hate blends revealing interviews, rare photographs and clips from von Stroheim's legendary and lesser-known works to create a fascinating tribute to one of American cinema's most complex artists.

This special double feature contains Erich von Stroheim's masterpiece FOOLISH WIVES along with the documentary about von Stroheim, THE MAN YOU LOVED TO HATE.

FOOLISH WIVES (1922)
Erich von Stroheim's psychologically penetrating and visually gorgeous study of "innocent Americans" abroad, and their inability to understand the longstanding rules of behavior followed by their sophisticated European counterparts. An American diplomat and his wife journey to Monte Carlo, where he proceeds to bury himself in work. His wife, bored and upset with her husband's inattentiveness, and longing to experience the Continental nightlife, gradually succumbs to the flirtations of an elegant and charming "Count" -- who, in actuality, is merely a Russian military officer out to seduce her. As events come tumbling to a disastrous conclusion, the woman learns a valuable lesson about the meaning of true nobility, and the difference between appearance and reality.

THE MAN YOU LOVED TO HATE (1978):
This documentary explores the life and work of Erich Von Stroheim, one of cinema's earliest geniuses and a notoriously obsessive artist. Using interviews, rare photographs and clips from von Stroheim's masterworks as well as his more obscure films, THE MAN YOU LOVED TO HATE presents a compelling picture of the enigmatic writer, actor, and director.