Magic Lantern Video & Book StoreErich von Stroheim
[1885-1957]
![director & actor Erich von Stroheim [1885-1957] directing seriously](images/ErichvonStroheim-directing.jpg "director & actor Erich von Stroheim [1885-1957] directing seriously") |
short profile
other works by Erich von Stroheim |
"Lubitsch shows you first the king on the throne, then as he is in the bedroom. I show you — Erich von Stroheim
"In Hollywood, you're as good as your last picture. If you didn't have one in production within
the last three months, you're forgotten, no matter what you have achieved [before] this."
the king in the bedroom so [that] you'll know just what he is when you see him on his throne."
B I O
t e x t
h e r e
During the filming of "As You Desire Me" in 1932, von Stroheim sufferred ill health & depression (often forgetting lines, etc.), but star Greta Garbo used her power at M.G.M to protect him.
Erich von Stroheim entry at Wikipedia
Erich von Stroheim credits [1915-56] at Internet Movie Database
search for Erich von Stroheim on DVD at Amazon
Erich von Stroheim was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar
for "Sunset Blvd." [1950]
He also received
a B.A.F.T.A. Award Certificate of Merit in 1954
induction into France's Légion d'Honneur in 1957
and a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (at 6826 Hollywood Blvd.) in 1960
Movies of Erich von Stroheim
Erich von Stroheim credits [1915-56] at Internet Movie Database
search for Erich von Stroheim on DVD at Amazon
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"His Picture In The Papers" feature [Fine Arts/Triangle Feb 1916]
directed by John Emerson, starring Douglas Fairbanks, with Erich von Stroheim; /tt0006809/
"Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout The Ages"
[Triangle silent classic Sept 1916]
 | Also entitled "Intolerance: A Sun Play of The Ages"; four tales of intolerance by Mankind: religious rivalry in ancient Babylon; the tale of Christ in Roman-occupied Judea; Catholic vs. Huguenot in 1572 France; and in modern America. Produced, co-written, directed & edited by D.W. Griffith; starring Lillian Gish, Mae Marsh, Robert Harron, Howard Gaye, Lillian Langdon, Olga Grey, Margery Wilson, Eugene Pallette, Spottiswoode Aitken & Constance Talmadge; listed on National Film Registry (1989) NOTE: Griffith protégée Erich von Stroheim acted several roles in "Intolerance" as well as working as an assistant director (on the many crowd scenes). Kino Video 197-min. b&w DVD [10/2002] for $26.99 Alpha Video 163-min. b&w DVD [10/2003] for $6.98 Kino Video 197-min. b&w VHS [6/2000] 2 tapes - out of prodn/used HBO Masterpiece 175-min. b&w VHS [10/91] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia 11"x17" poster available at AllPosters.com |
"The Heart of Humanity" [1918]
"Blind Husbands" [Universal Film Mfg. Co. Oct 1919]
 | An Austrian military officer tries to seduce the wife of a surgeon, and when the doctor finds out, there is a confrontation. Produced, written, directed by & starring Erich von Stroheim, based on his story "The Pinnacle"; also starring Sam De Grasse, Francelia Billington, Gibson Gowland, Fay Holderness, Ruby Kendrick, Valerie Germonprez (soon married to von Stroheim}, Jack Perrin, Richard Cummings & Louis Fitzroy
Kino Video double feature b&w DVD [6/2003] for $18.99 with "The Great Gabbo" [1929] Kino Video b&w VHS [6/2003] for $17.95 full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
"The Devil's Pass Key" lost film [1920] Director and screenwriter
"Foolish Wives" [Universal Film Mfg. Co. Jan 1922]
 | A fake Russian count lives with two cousins in Monaco and lives on counterfeit money and what he can get from seducing women; he decides that his next victim will be the beautiful and naïve wife of the new American ambassa-dor. This legendary 'lost film' was delivered at 6½ hours length (32 reels of film). (The magazine Photoplay suggested that the movie should be re-titled "Foolish Directors" and released as a serial.) Universal took control and released a 210-minute (14 reel) version; von Stroheim hated the shorter version. The best available version today runs 117-120 minutes. Producer credit to late-comer Irving Thalberg; co-written, directed by & starring Erich von Stroheim; also starring Rudolph Christians, Miss DuPont, Maude George, Mae Busch, Dale Fuller, Al Edmundsen, Cesare Gravina, Malvina Polo, C.J. Allen & {von Stroheim's wife} Valerie Germonprez; listed at National Film Registry (2008)
Alpha Video b&w DVD [1/2004] for $5.51 Kino Video double feature DVD [6/2003] for $26.99 with documentary "The Man You Loved To Hate" Image Ent. b&w DVD [9/2009] for $26.49 Alpha Video/Music Video Distribution b&w VHS [6/2004] for $39.99 Kino Video b&w VHS [6/2003] out of prodn/used Image Ent. b&w VHS [9/2000] out of prodn/used 11"x17" purple DVD cover poster {as at left} from Amazon for $9.98 full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
"Merry-Go-Round" [1923]
http://www.amazon.com/Merry-Go-Round-Norman-Kerry/dp/B00008H2GZ/
"Greed" silent film masterpiece
[M.G.M. Dec 1924]
  | A San Francisco dentist woos and marries his best friend's girl. She wins the lottery and her jealous ex-boyfriend turns the dentist in for having no license to practice. This legendary 'lost film' was delivered at ten hours length (42 reels of film); the studio forced Stroheim to make drastic cuts; he cut it down to four hours. The displeased studio then took control and released a 2-hour & 20-minute version, which failed at the box office. The excised negatives and exposed film were destroyed, perhaps as late as the 1950s. The Turner restoration makes use of still photos & historical script continuity.
Co-written & directed by Erich von Stroheim; based on the 1902 novel "McTeague" by Frank Norris; starring Gibson Gowland, Zasu Pitts, Jean Hersholt, Dale Fuller, Tempe Pigott, Sylvia Ashton, Chester Conklin & Joan Standing; listed on the National Film Registry in 1991
not available on DVD; Turner 4-hr restoration b&w VHS [9/98] 2 tapes - out of prodn/used MGM/UA Home Video 133-minute b&w VHS [undated] out of prodn/used full credits at IMDb • entry about the film at Wikipedia "Greed" [1993] critical text by Jonathan Rosenbaum
"The Complete Greed of Erich von Stroheim" [1972] by Herman G. Weinberg
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 | "McTeague: A Story of San Francisco" [1899 classic novel] by Frank Norris
A San Francisco dentist woos and marries his best friend's girl. She wins the lottery and her jealous ex-boyfriend turns the dentist in for having no license to practice. Signet mass pb [8/2003] for $7.95 W.W. Norton 8½x5¼ pb critical text [11/96] for $12.80 entry about the book at Wikipedia |
Magic Lantern's "Greed" 1924 Movie Page
"White Sheep" (1924) Glenn Tryon (Actor), Jack Gavin (Actor)
http://www.amazon.com/White-Sheep-Glenn-Tryon/dp/B002ZJEQJ0/
"The Merry Widow" [1925] Director and screenwriter and producer
http://www.amazon.com/Merry-Widow-Mae-Murray/dp/B004TPJN0K/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1322962345&sr=1-1
"The Wedding March" [1928] Director
http://www.amazon.com/Wedding-March-VHS-Erich-Stroheim/dp/6300218082/
"The Honeymoon" lost film [19??] Director
"Tempest" [1928] screenwriter
http://www.amazon.com/Tempest-John-Barrymore/dp/B00009Q4W4/
"Queen Kelly" [1929] produced by Joseph P. Kennedy
directed by Erich von Stroheim, starring Gloria Swanson
http://www.amazon.com/Queen-Kelly-Gloria-Swanson/dp/B000094J73/
http://www.amazon.com/Queen-Kelly-Gloria-Swanson/dp/B005G52ID6/
http://www.amazon.com/Queen-Kelly-VHS-Gloria-Swanson/dp/6301581075/ VHS
http://www.amazon.com/Queen-Kelly-VHS-Gloria-Swanson/dp/B00004CNZL/
http://www.amazon.com/Queen-Kelly-Complete-Screenplay-Stroheim/dp/0810843927/
"The Great Gabbo" musical feature
[Sono Art-World Wide Pictures Sept 1929]
 | An aging ventriloquist is going mad, taking advice from his dummy; the second plot is an onstage musical romance. (The original mid-film MultiColor sequences seem to be lost.) Co-produced & directed by James Cruze; written by Ben Hecht & Hugh Herbert; starring Erich von Stroheim, Betty Compson, Donald Douglas & Marjorie Kane
Kino Video double feature b&w DVD [6/2003] for $18.99 with 1919 feature "Blind Husbands" A.F.A. Ent. b&w DVD [11/2011] for $12.95 
Gotham Distribution b&w DVD [5/2005] for $7.68 Synergy Ent. b&w DVD [9/2007] for $9.99 Triad Prodns 'Enhanced' b&w DVD-R [5/2009] for $12.95 Keystone Video b&w VHS [7/2001] out of prodn/used 11"x17" black poster {as at left} from Amazon for $9.98 27"x40" green Swedish poster from Amazon for $18.99 credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
"As You Desire Me" [M.G.M. May 1932]
 | A bar entertainer in Budapest lives with novelist Salter, remembers nothing of her past, and drinks a lot. A strange man shows up claiming that the woman is a war refugee and the wife of Bruno, an officer in the Italian Army; she goes with him to Italy. Salter then shows up in Italy with a mentally-damaged woman that he claims is the real wife.
Directed by George Fitzmaurice; adapted by Gene Markey from the 1930 stageplay "Come Tuo Mi Voi" by Luigi Pirandello; starring Greta Garbo {as a blonde}, Melvyn Douglas, Erich von Stroheim, Owen Moore, Hedda Hopper, Rafaela Ottiano, Warburton Gamble & Albert Conti
M.G.M./Warner b&w VHS [9/98] out of prodn/used 27"x40" black poster from Amazon for $18.99 full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
 | "As You Desire Me" stageplay [1930] by Luigi Pirandello, new translation by Hugh Whitemore Oberon Books 8x5 pb [9/2006] for $18.95 E.P. Dutton & Co. 9x6 hardcover [1931] out of print/used |
"The Lost Squadron" [R.K.O. Radio Pictures March 1932]
  | Stroheim agreed to portray a parody of himself as a German film director making a silent World War I movie who is essentially a homicidal maniac. The plot begins with aerial heroism by Yankee Army pilots in France who then come home to unfaithful girlfriends and unemployment. Several drift to Hollywood where their daredevil flying skills are in demand for movies about The Great War. Directed by George Archainbaud; screenplay by Wallace Smith, based on a story by Dick Grace; starring Richard Dix, Erich von Stroheim, Mary Astor, Robert Armstrong, Dorothy Jordan, Joel McCrea, Hugh Herbert & Ralph Ince
Region 1 Blu-ray/DVD not available King of Video Region 1 b&w VHS [2012] from Amazon third party for $39.99 full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia "The Lost Squadron" photoplay [1932] by Dick Grace
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"Hello, Sister!" [1933] Director and screenwriter
"Crimson Romance" (1934) /tt0025011/
Starring Hardie Albright, William Bakewell, Vince Barnett
http://www.amazon.com/Crimson-Romance-Hardie-Albright/dp/B000EYK43U/
http://www.amazon.com/Crimson-Romance-Ben-Lyon/dp/B0014137S6/
"Fugitive Road" (1934) /tt0025152/
Starring Erich von Stroheim, Wera Engels and Leslie Fenton /B002TCRQMW/
"The Crime of Dr. Crespi" [1936]
"The Devil-Doll" [1936] screenwriter
"Mademoiselle Docteur" [1936]
"The Grand Illusion"
[France June 1937; USA Sept 1938]
 | Complex, profound and heartbreakingly human look at the illusions inherent in war & heroism, social class & individual character, romantic love, religion – all are trapped in illusion. Co-written & directed by Jean Renoir; starring Jean Gabin, Pierre Fresnay, Erich von Stroheim & Marcel Dalio; nominated for Best Picture Oscar
Criterion b&w DVD w/English subtitles [11/99] for $34.76 TimelessVideo b&w VHS w/English subtitles [8/97] for $14.99 Criterion b&w VHS w/English subtitles [11/99] for $29.95 full credits from IMDb |
"Gibraltar" [1938]
unproduced "La Dame Blanche"
Working in France on the eve of World War II, Stroheim was preparing to direct the film "La Dame Blanche" from his own story and screenplay. Max Cossvan was to produce the film for Demo-Film. Jean Renoir wrote the dialogue, Jacques Becker was to be assistant director, and the featured actors were to be Stroheim himself, Louis Jouvet & Jean-Louis Barrault. The production was prevented by the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, and Stroheim returned to the United States.
"So Ends Our Night" [1941] /tt0034208/
Starring Fredric March, Margaret Sullavan, Frances Dee /B000FMGTOO/
http://www.amazon.com/So-Ends-Our-Night-VHS/dp/B00000K3U9/
"Five Graves To Cairo" [1943]
http://www.amazon.com/Five-Graves-Cairo-Franchot-Tone/dp/6304452837/
"The North Star" [1943]
http://www.amazon.com/North-Star-VHS-Anne-Baxter/dp/6304980582/
"The Lady and The Monster" [1944]
"The Great Flamarion" [1945] title role
http://www.amazon.com/Great-Flamarion-Erich-von-Stroheim/dp/B000CEXGDC/
http://www.amazon.com/Great-Flamarion-VHS-Steve-Barclay/dp/B0000A381U/ VHS
"The Mask of Diijon" [1946] title role
http://www.amazon.com/Mask-Diijon-Erich-von-Stroheim/dp/6305473110/
"Portrait of An Assassin" [1949] /tt0041763/
Starring Maria Montez, Erich von Stroheim, Arletty
http://www.amazon.com/Portrait-Assassin-Maria-Montez/dp/B00004S89A/
"Sunset Boulevard: A Hollywood Story"
[Paramount Aug 1950]
 | Joe is an unsuccessful screenwriter who has another script rejected by the studio; fleeing the men trying to repossess his car, he hides in a garage at a Sunset Blvd. mansion; the owner is Norma Desmond, a failed star who asks Joe to help polish the script intended to ignite her comeback on the screen; Joe moves into the mansion where he is essentially a 'kept man'; that is okay, but he is horrified to learn that Norma thinks that she is in love with him. She sends the completed script to DeMille at Paramount, then drives her rare limousine to the studio for a confrontation. Joe has been working with a studio secretary on another script, and the pair have fallen in love. Joe tells Norma, Norma calls the girl to bad-mouth Joe, Joe invites the girl to the mansion to see for herself. After the girl leaves, Norma shoots Joe, his body falls into the pool. By the time the police arrive, Norma is lost in fantasy; the butler persuades her that the waiting cops and news reporters are part of her new movie, so she descends the staircase and utters the famous line "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up".
Co-written & co-produced by Charles Brackett; co-written & directed by Billy Wilder; co-written by D.M. Marshman Jr.; starring William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim, Nancy Olson, Fred Clark, Jack Webb, Julia Faye & Henry Wilcoxon; cameos by Cecil B. DeMille, Hedda Hopper, Buster Keaton, Anna Q. Nilsson & H.B. Warner; won Oscars for Best Original Script, Best Music Score & Best B&W Art Direction, also Oscar nomiations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor & Actress, Best B&W Cinematography & Best Editing; won W.G.A. Award; nominated for D.G.A. Award; listed on National Film Registry (1989)
watch the theatrical trailer [3:14] for free at YouTube not yet available on Blu-ray Paramount b&w DVD [11/2002] for $18.74 Paramount b&w DVD [11/2008] 2 disks out of prodn/used Paramount b&w VHS [1/96] for $14.95 Paramount b&w VHS [undated] for $7.40 full credits at IMDb • film entry at Wikipedia |
more details (synopsis & history, DVDs, books, posters) at
Magic Lantern's "Sunset Blvd." 1950 Movie Page
"Alraune" aka "The Unnatural" [Germany 1952, USA 1958]
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A scientist creates a 'perfect woman', but she is artifical and thus soul-less, and she destroys everyone around her. Directed by Arthur Maria Rabenalt; based on the 1911 novel by Hanns Heinz Ewers; starring Hildegard Knef, Erich von Stroheim, Karlheinz Böhm, Harry Meyen, Rolf Henniger, Harry Halm, Trude Hesterberg & Denise Vernac
St. Clair Vision b&w DVD [2/2004] out of prodn/used full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
 | "Alraune" [Germany 1911; USA 1929] by Hanns Heinz Ewers [1871-1943] The second novel of Ewers's Frank Braun Trilogy, a modern, revisionist version of the Frankenstein legend. Published in German in 1911; censored English translation published by John Day Co. in USA in 1929; new uncensored English translation by Joe Bandel published in 2009. Books are scarce due to censorship and to Ewers's collaboration with the Nazis. Joe Bandel's Hanns Heinz Ewers fansite • book entry at Wikipedia Kindle Edition from Joe Bandel [4/2010] for $10.73 The 2009 limited edition hardcover from Side Real Press, U.K. is not available on Amazon |
"Orient Express" European TV series episode "The Man of Many Skins" [1953]
series entry at Wikipedia
• series not listed on IMDb
"L'Envers du Paradis (The Other Side of Paradise)"
[Columbia Pictures France July 1953]
Written & directed by Edmond T. Gréville; starring Erich von Stroheim, Jacques Sernas, Denise Vernac,
Jacques Castelot, Héléna Manson & Etchika Choureau • VHS/DVD/Blu-ray not available • full credits at IMDb
"Napoléon" [France March 1955] as Ludwig van Beethoven
 | Written & directed by Sacha Guitry; starring Daniel Gelin (as young Napoléon} & Raymond Pellegrin {as old Napoléon}; also starring Jean-Pierre Aumont, Danielle Darrieux, O.W. Fischer, Jean Gabin, Sacha Guitry, Jean Marais, Michèle Morgan, Yves Montand, Patachou, Micheline Presle, Dany Robin, Maria Schell, Erich von Stroheim {as Ludwig van Beethoven} & Orson Welles
DVD/Blu-ray not available Madacy Ent. color VHS [undated] for $5.00 21st Genesis Home Video color VHS [undated] for $23.45 full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
Other Works by Erich von Stroheim
In France after World War II, von Stroheim acted in films and published several novels in French.
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"Paprika" roman [Editions André Martel 1948] by Erich von Stroheim Paprika is the daughter of a gypsy woamn and a Hungarian prince. On the day of her birth, a fortune teller says that the child was born in a paprika field, and will also die in a paprika field, that she will find true love but marry another man, and that the King of Hungary himself will save her from a burning bridge. Éditions Pygmalion pb [7/97] out of print/used from Amazon.FR Inter-presse pb [1967] out of print/used from Amazon.FR |
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"Les Feux de la Saint-Jean (Fires of Midsummer's Day)" by Erich von Stroheim
Book 1: "Veronica" roman [1951] mixed formats [mixed dates] out of print/used from Amazon.FR Book 2: "Constanzia" roman [1954] Editions André Martel pb [1954] out of print/used from Amazon.FR Editions André Martel pb [1954] out of print/used from Amazon.FR Inter-Presse hardcover [1967] out of print/used from Amazon.FR |
 | "Poto-Poto" roman [Editions de la Fontaine, 1956] by Erich von Stroheim, Preface by Blaise Cendrars [1887-1961] On the coast of Equatorial Africa, beautiful Masha delivers her body to the men who covet her. Land-owner Yan asks her to marry him; her acceptance is entry to hell. Life in the remote bush includes snakes, mosquitos, wild animals and terrible diseases, plus the sadistic desires of her new husband. The chance arrival of a crashed aviator offers forbidden love. Yan concocts a scheme for death of the two lovers - can the two escape? Éditions Pygmalion / Gérard Watelet pb [6/2001] for €17,23 from Amazon.FR Éditions Pygmalion / Gérard Watelet pb [6/91] out of print/used from Amazon.FR |
Works About Erich von Stroheim
 | "Hollywood Scapegoat: The Biography of Erich von Stroheim" [1950] by Peter Noble Arno Press/ Ayer Publng facsimile edition hardcover [6/72] out of print/used Fortune Press U.K. hardcover [1951] out of print/used Fortune Press U.K. hardcover [1950] out of print/used |
 | "The Man You Loved To Hate" documentary [BBC-TV/Corinth 1979] 90-minute documentary film that explores the career of Erich von Stroheim - as a director of silent movies, as well as an actor in both silents & talkies - thru interviews, photos & archival footage. von Stroheim was often uncompromising and rigid, and a spendthrift; he battled the studio system for control over his pictures' content, and the result was a career with many ups and downs. Co-produced & directed by Patrick Montgomery; written by Richard Koszarski; narrated by Edward Binns; featuring producer-agent Paul Kohner, Marcel Dalio, Leonard Spigelgass, Samuel Marx, wife Valerie Germon-prez von Stroheim, Paul Ivano, Harold Henderson, Grant Whytock, I.B. Kornblum, writer Thomas Quinn Curtiss & mistress Denise Vernac Kino Video double feature DVD [6/2003] for $26.99 with 1922 silent feature "Foolish Wives" Kino Video color/b&w VHS [6/2003] out of prodn/used Kino Video color/b&w VHS [6/2000] out of prodn/used full credits at IMDb "The Man You Loved To Hate: Erich Von Stroheim and Hollywood" [1983] by Richard Koszarski Oxford Univ Press 9x6 pb [8/83] out of print/many used Oxford Univ Press 9¾x6½ hardcover [8/83] out of print/used |
 | "Memories of The Silent Stars" [Blackhawk 1998] "Rare behind-the-scenes footage of silent film legends" including Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle, Clara Bow, Bebe Daniels, Marion Davies, Marie Dressler, Douglas Fairbanks, Lillian & Dorothy Gish, Tom Mix, Mae Murray, Charles Ray, Norma Shearer, Ben Turpin, Erich von Stroheim, Pearl White, and Fay Wray; from the Blackhawk Collection; organ score by Bob Vaughn Unknown Video b&w silent DVD [11/2004] out of prodn/scarce Blackhawk b&w silent VHS [8/98] out of prodn/scarce not listed on IMDb; available on DVD from the Unknown Video website |
 | "Stroheim" biography [2000] by Arthur Lennig Univ Press of KY 8½x5½ pb [4/2003] out of print/used Univ Press of KY 10¼x6¼ hardcover [1/2000] for $45.00 |
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"Ethics and Social Criticism In The Hollywood Films of Erich von Stroheim, Ernst Lubitsch, and Billy Wilder" [2000] by Nora Henry Praeger Publng 9½x6½ hardcover [10/2000] for $125.00 see also Magic Lantern's Ernst Lubitsch [1892-1947] Page
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 | "Von: The Life and Films of Erich Von Stroheim" [2004] by Richard Koszarski Revised and Expanded Edition: about one third is rewritten or added to the 1983 book above Limelight Editions 9¼x6½ pb [8/2004] for $18.94 |
Friends & Family
first wife Margaret Knox Stroheim []
married February 1913, divorced November 1915
second wife Mae Jones Stroheim [] - married 1916-19
son Erich Stroheim, Jr. [1916–68] worked as an assistant director
third wife Valerie Germonprez Stroheim [1897-1988]
married 1919, estranged 1936, widowed 1957
son Josef Stroheim [1922–2002] worked as a sound editor
mistress actress Denise Vernac [1916-84], lived together 1939-57
L i n k s
Erich von Stroheim entry at Wikipedia
Erich von Stroheim credits [1915-56] at Internet Movie Database
search for Erich von Stroheim on DVD at Amazon
Erich von Stroheim posters & photos at AllPosters.com
very-detailed French-language listing of Erich von Stroheim's writings, 1912-1939
very-detailed French-language listing of Erich von Stroheim's writings, 1949-1956
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