Rent An American Tragedy (1931)
3.3 of 5 from 50 ratings
1h 36min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
In the middle of his classic series of collaborations with Marlene Dietrich, Josef von Sternberg substituted the iconic German star with Phillips Holmes (The Criminal Code) and Sylvia Sidney (You and Me) to make 'An American Tragedy', a shocking tale of crime and punishment. Clyde (Phillips Holmes), a poor garment worker with a past he wishes to forget, has a shot at the good life when he meets heiress Sondra (Frances Dee). But when his clandestine girlfriend Roberta (Sylvia Sidney) announces she is pregnant, Clyde considers drastic actions in order to preserve his dream of affluence. Based on the novel by Theodore Dreiser (which would later be adapted as 'A Place in the Sun', starring Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor), and inspired by a notorious real-life murder case, 'An American Tragedy' is a searing indictment of the American dream. - Actors:
- Phillips Holmes, Sylvia Sidney, Frances Dee, Irving Pichel, Frederick Burton, Claire McDowell, Wallace Middleton, Emmett Corrigan, Charles Middleton, Lucille La Verne, Al Hart, Fanny Midgley, Arnold Korff, Russ Powell, William Bailey, Ed Brady, Martin Cichy, Richard Cramer, Sidney D'Albrook, Claire Dodd
- Directors:
- Josef Von Sternberg
- Producers:
- Josef Von Sternberg
- Writers:
- Theodore Dreiser, Samuel Hoffenstein, Josef Von Sternberg
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama, Romance, Thrillers
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 11/12/2023
- Run Time:
- 96 minutes
- Languages:
- English LPCM Mono
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.19:1
- Colour:
- B & W
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Audio commentary with film historian Josh Nelson (2023)
- Josef von Sternberg Oral History (1958, 27 mins): rare archival audio recording of the celebrated filmmaker in conversation with George Pratt
- Lee Garmes Oral History (1958, 89 mins): rare archival audio recording of the cinematographer in conversation with Pratt
- An American Picture (2023, 29 mins): extensive discussion of 'An American Tragedy' by the writer and film programmer Tony Rayns
- Nurture and Nature (2023, 8 mins): video essay by film historian Tag Gallagher
- Image gallery: promotional and publicity materials
- World premiere on Blu-ray
