Greed

Released Dec 4, 1924

2h 8m

Drama

List

96%

27 Reviews

Tomatometer

91%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

When housewife Trina McTeague (ZaSu Pitts) wins the lottery, her comfortable life with her dentist husband, John (Gibson Gowland), is slowly destroyed, in part by her own increasing paranoia and in part by the machinations of a villainous friend, Marcus (Jean Hersholt). Director Erich von Stroheim shot the film, based on the Frank Norris novel "McTeague", on location in and around San Francisco, an extravagance unheard of in the 1920s. His original version, since lost, ran for nearly 10 hours.

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Critics Consensus

Powerful even in its incomplete form, Erich von Stroheim's Greed is a spoil of cinematic riches and a harrowing treatise on the corrupting allure of money.

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John E

I loved this film and am so very impressed by its engaging story and brilliant storytelling through the skills of director van Stroheim. This is a must see for any true film buff. For its day, it should have been a masterpiece. For our day it certainly was turned into one.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/27/23

Full Review

Alexander B

There are a few scenes that were influential and shocking for the time it was made. Sadly it suffered from slow pace and boring moments.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

Full Review

David B

One of the best silent films I've seen, Greed was truly ahead of its time.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Only watching because of its historic significance in film history. It isn't a bad little parable of one of the deadly sins but it is a slog as there is no music accompaniment. I watched it on 2x speed and don't think I missed out on anything. A 2hr version is on YouTube and may be worth checking out. Pretty old story, not a bad one but nothing that will stick in the memory.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

Ethan S

I saw the two hour and ten minute version. Not sure what a longer cut adds to the overall story, but from what I understand this version is still a pretty bare-bones retelling of Stroheim's masterpiece, particularly when it comes to the development of the supporting cast (Mac and Trina's families and neighbors mainly) who appear for a segment of the movie and then disappear never to be seen again. It is a dark movie, a story of spiritual and emotional as well as literal poverty and squalor interspersed with baroque, almost surreal images of skeletal hands grasping at coins, cats watching caged birds and a funeral procession passing by the window during the protagonists' wedding. The decision to move the final act of the film from an urban to a western setting is an interesting one too (though I had a bit of trouble getting around Marcus' flamboyant 'cowboy' shirt - what the hell was that!). I don't want to give away the ending but I can see why this was a problem for the newly-formed MGM, and I am surprised the studio allowed it to remain in the final cut of the movie.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/14/21

Full Review

William L

(Turner Restoration) Greed offers a wonderful departure from the simplistic and superfluous dramas of the Victorian age that pervaded early silent film, made all the more remarkable by the age of the source material and its rather uncomplicated base themes (greed=bad). The real vision is not in the novel, but in von Stroheim's adaptation - his far more profound sense of character compared to other films of the period, his use of choice imagery (the constant references to various animals and man's animalistic nature), and the exploration of the perils of the immigrant and working classes. There is wonderful contrast and significance in the subplots, which makes it all the more disappointing that MGM decided to gut it with a machete, and that what ended up on the cutting room floor only survives in a series of stills. Watching the Turner reconcstruction (combining the original theatrical cut with such stills) as a first-time viewer certainly provided a clearer picture of von Stroheim's intent, but it was certainly jarring to see, and I wouldn't recommend it without having the proper context. Still, whether in its abridged or restored form, Greed shines as a far more complete, modern film than most of its silent era contemporaries. (4.5/5)

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/25/20

Full Review

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Erich von Stroheim

Director

Gibson Gowland

John McTeague

ZaSu Pitts

Trina

Jean Hersholt

Marcus Schuller

Chester Conklin

"Popper" Sieppe

Sylvia Ashton

Mommer' Sieppe

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Variety Staff

Variety

The picture brings to light three great character performances by Gibson Gowland as McTeague, Jean Hersholt as the chum, and ZaSu Pitts as the wife.

Feb 23, 2012

Full Review

J. Hoberman

Village Voice

Von Stroheim's rep, after a long dormancy, has been on the rise, and this is the best evidence of his work you'll get until someone finds those lost five hours in some Ukrainian subcellar.

Jun 17, 2008

Full Review

Mordaunt Hall

New York Times

Mr. von Stroheim has not missed a vulgar point, but on the other hand his direction of the effort is cunningly dramatic.

Mar 25, 2006

Full Review

Robert E. Sherwood

LIFE

Ferocity, brutality, muscle, vulgarity, crudity, naked realism and sheer genius are to be found -- great hunks of them --in Von Stroheim's production, Greed. It is a terribly powerful picture -- and an important one.

Oct 7, 2021

Full Review

James R. Quirk

Photoplay

I never entered a picture house with more anticipation and departed with greater disappointment.

Sep 24, 2020

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

The McTeagues' downfall isn't the standard self-destruction through venturing down a path of crime, but rather a familial degradation of dubiety, hatred, and desperation.

Rated: 8/10

Jul 27, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

When housewife Trina McTeague (ZaSu Pitts) wins the lottery, her comfortable life with her dentist husband, John (Gibson Gowland), is slowly destroyed, in part by her own increasing paranoia and in part by the machinations of a villainous friend, Marcus (Jean Hersholt). Director Erich von Stroheim shot the film, based on the Frank Norris novel "McTeague", on location in and around San Francisco, an extravagance unheard of in the 1920s. His original version, since lost, ran for nearly 10 hours.

Director: Erich von Stroheim
Producer: Louis B. Mayer
Screenwriter: Joseph Farnham, June Mathis, Frank Norris, Erich von Stroheim
Distributor: Turner Classic Movies (TCM), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp.
Production Co: Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Genre: Drama
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 4, 1924, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2009
Runtime: 2h 8m
Aspect Ratio: Academy (1.33:1), 35mm

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