Queen Kelly (Erich von Stroheim, 1929)
A sordid tale of illicit love that pales in comparison to the drama surrounding its production.
Film/Video Theater
Introduced by Dennis Doros and Amy Heller, Milestone Films
New Restoration
Star Gloria Swanson had a premonition that Queen Kelly would never be finished, and she was technically right. Produced as a silent film, Queen Kelly was financed in part by Swanson’s lover Joseph Kennedy (patriarch of the Kennedy dynasty). Erich von Stroheim, infamous for his extravagant filmmaking, was hired to direct. Between rising costs and concerns that what had been shot would never pass the censors, Swanson and Kennedy pulled the plug. The film was only shown in a shortened version for years—until now. This new restoration reimagines a version as close to the intended original as possible. The plot? Swanson stars as convent girl Kitty Kelly who falls for a prince (Walter Byron) who is engaged to the deranged Queen Regina. When the mad queen finds them together, she imprisons the prince and banishes Kelly to a brothel. (101 mins., 4K DCP)