Greed (1924)(dvd)
Available on all-region DVD

Synopsis: In his quest for ultra-realism in GREED, Stroheim bought out entire blocks of property in downslidden neighborhoods, forcing his actors to live on these blocks so that they might gain insight into such a lifestyle.

Stroheim insisted on filming a murder scene in GREED at a place where a murder actually occurred (and who watching the scene would know this unless it was pointed out?) The climactic final scenes were shot in Death Valley during the hottest part of the summer of 1923, forcing more than a few crew members into outright mutiny, and almost destroying the equipment in the process (in order to function the cameras had to be wrapped in icewater-soaked cloths).

Wildly outrageous stories circulated about von Stroheim, including that he once insisted on waiting for chimney smoke to blow in a certain direction before continuing with a scene (untrue). However, this brand of fanaticism earned him the title 'The Man You Love To Hate'. - Polkadotty

Cast: Zasu Pitts, Gibson Gowland
Runtime: 140 min