SOURCE: "Erich von Stroheim: Form, Uniform, and Cruelty," in The Cinema of Cruelty: From Buñuel to Hitchcock, edited by Francois Truffaut, translated by Sabine d'Estree with Tiffany Fliss, Seaver Books, 1982, pp. 3-16.

In the following essay, which was originally published in 1949, Bazin considers themes of violence and cruelty in Stroheim's films.

Erich Von Stroheim: Form, Uniform, and Cruelty

The films of Erich von Stroheim rightfully belong to the critics and filmmakers of the post-World War I period. And his work cannot be well known by anyone who is unfamiliar with the last five years of silent films. Perhaps because it is more recent than that of Chaplin and Griffith, his work needs some time to acquire the objectivity bestowed upon it by retrospectives and historical criticism. Whether by coincidence, accident, or predestination, his films are among the most difficult to view today. His relatively short but brilliant...