An American Tragedy 1931 FILM

Does anyone have the dvd?

There are clips on YouTube.

I much preferred Sylvia Sidney to Shelley Winters, who makes Roberta so whiny and pathetic her death seems like euthanasia. The '31 film is directed by Josef von Sternberg, so it has a dark moodiness that is typical of his work. It's worth seeing, and some think it's closer to the novel.

The leading man, Philip Holmes, makes Clyde almost emotionless which underscores his pathology, but he also comes off as rather wooden. He's no Montgomery Clift. The role of Sondra in this version, played by Frances Dee, is smaller than in A PLACE IN THE SUN, and much less interesting than in Stevens' film.

I wonder why it's not streaming anywhere

I found the complete movie online...

Sylvia's death was a tragedy. Shelley's death was a relief.

On Region 2 Blu-Ray and still available as a Region 1 DVD (a soft 35mm print) in the Universal Vault Series ($13.98 at Amazon). Holmes was very pretty (and died young), but he's no Montgomery Clift. Sidney was a far more subtle actor than Winters, and makes the Von Sternberg original worth a look.

[quote]Sidney was a far more subtle actor than Winters

And she had those beautiful eyes.

How many film adaptations of An American Tragedy are there?

You can’t beat Liz and Monty for sheer charisma, beauty and screen chemistry..

R10, agreed

R7, thanks for the info

[quote] I much preferred Sylvia Sidney to Shelley Winters, who makes Roberta so whiny and pathetic her death seems like euthanasia.

You stole that line from Pauline Kael.

R13 is why I love Datalounge.

I'm shocked this hasn't been revived on Broadway with big stars as a quick money grab every 2-5 years. Are the rights tied up and hard to get at?

Jeffrey Richards where are you?

What was the screen adaptation between the 1931 and 1951 versions?