Merry Go Round (1923)

Set in pre WWI Vienna, a dashing Count (Norman Kerry) is a ladies man in spite of being engaged to a noblewoman (Dorothy Wallace). While amusing himself with friends in an amusement park, he comes across a naive innocent (Mary Philbin) working as an organ grinder. He finds himself attracted to her but what about his "royal" responsibilities? Directed by Rupert Julian (THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA) and Erich von Stroheim (FOOLISH WIVES). Just two weeks into shooting, von Stroheim was fired and replaced by Julian. So how much of the movie is von Stroheim and how much Julian? My guess is that it's mostly Julian as the film as a whole doesn't have the inventive vision that usually marks a von Stroheim film. I found it excessively overdone, especially in its characters. The movie's sadistic villain (George Siegmann) is lighted and photographed to resemble a devil and he even drools! The film's "hero" (Kerry) is a liar and a cheat and its heroine (Philbin) is a doormat to the male sex and in spite of Kerry's appalling treatment of her is still madly in love with him while ignoring the movie's most decent character (George Hackathorne) who is in love with her. Are we supposed to be happy that these two people who have hurt other people end up in each other's arms? With Dale Fuller, Cesare Gravina and Edith Yorke.