Stroheim

17. America Again

17 amrfira again ,8trohtirn's rtturn to l\ollg,wood was not as a victor, but as a loser.The fame, notoriety, and respect that he had enjoyed in France were not to be encountered in a town where he was almost forgotten and that regarded him as a quaint relic from the heady silent days. The emotional strain ofthe flight, the trip across the country, and his arrival in Hollywood was compounded when he met withValerie andJosef, who was by now sixteen years old.The meeting was perhaps cordial, maybe even more than cordial, but also awkward. There was still a mutual warmth, but not enough to cause the family to reunite. The marriage was over-at least practically, if not legally. Although Stroheim would continue to express his love forValerie in letters, he remained with Denise. In the following years, when he was away from Hollywood on tour, he would faithfully sendValerie anniversary gifts, flowers at Easter, and presents at Christmas. He also renewed his personal relationship with Josef and saw him whenever he could. To an outsider, Stroheim's behavior would probably seem hypocritical or insincere, but it was more complex than that. Although the couple may have loved each other, either Valerie or Stroheim saw that the relationship could no longer work. Denise must have had some diffi407 408 STROHEIM cult times with this complicated and gifted man, and yet they stayed together until death did them part. Stroheim and Denise soon found quarters in Hollywood, and Stroheim began studying the script of the odd, caper-like film, I VVcls an Adventuress, in which he had been given a role. It was scheduled to be a rather lavish production directed by Gregory Ratoff. Stroheim, remembering that Zanuck, a writer himself, had liked his additions to Three Faces East, immediately began making changes and additions.As a result, Stroheim's part grew larger and became redolent of his time-honored obsessions. The character that he plays was not very interesting in the French film on which the new project was based. Stroheim gave the role further dimension and vitally improved the original. He and Peter Lorre portray two swindlers who, in one case, switch paste jewels for genuine ones. Stroheim plays a "colonel"; Lorre his helper, Paolo; and Vera Zorina (in real life a ballerina), a "countess."When the colonel has an argument with her, he says,"Please don't try to overawe me with that countess stuff, will you? Have a heart. After all, it was I who invented it." From a man who once masqueraded as a count, it is a curiously autobiographical statement. She admits, "You invented me." Stroheim also adds the little details that always enrich his work.When he notices she has chipped her nail, he extracts a manicure kit from his pocket and adds polish to the mlssmg area. Later in the film, the colonel examines the biography of a new victim he intends to swindle. He notices that the man was born on September 22 (Stroheim's own birthday) and says,"Astrologically speaking , he is aVirgo." He then adds with a curious smile, "They're very fine and clever people." When the countess falls in love, she escapes the clutches ofthe two crooks and marries the hero, who has no idea of her criminal past. Without their classy feminine confederate, the colonel and Paolo's con games fail. In dire financial need, the colonel orders Paolo to discover her whereabouts and then waits at an outdoor cafe.When his accomplice returns, the colonel remarks,"You've tramped allover Paris and found no trace ofher."When Paolo asks how he knew, the colonel replies, "Your feet. Those ugly Italian peasant feet. They tell the story.You see, I studied hands and feet. I can read them like you could read a book, ifyou could read." He lectures the abashed fellow about America Again 409 his expert knowledge offeet. "For instance," he says as a close-up ofa girl's feet appears, "those are just a woman's feet, but I tell you she is a vendeuse in one ofthe department stores. Stood on her feet all day, but she isn't tired now. She is going to meet her sweetheart."The colonel notes another passerby. "The woman with the bunions; she has given up hope ofmeeting anybody." He then points out an American tourist who has a"big corn...