Foolish Wives

Of all the “larger-than-life” personalities to emerge from the silent era of Hollywood, few have earned that moniker so completely as the Austrian-born actor and director Erich von Stroheim. His ambition consistently appeared to outstrip both the financial capabilities and the comprehension of the 1920s studio system. Consequently, von Stroheim forged a dual reputation: that of a megalomaniac in his own time, and a…