Merry-Go-Round, 1923 - ★★★½

Such opera! A mournful look at a lost world, and its decadence and failures. And that’s before the circus Ape goes Caesar on the corrupt carnie. 

The lost world of the 19th century sees its end in this film. Its pretenses, its government, its luxuries and its distractions.

The horrors of WWI are so fresh you can practically smell the battlefield. And yet through it all the unlikely and true love of Agnes and the Prince persist. A fairytale without the traditional ending, and steeped in realism.  

Amazing this was produced in Hollywood and not Vienna. But the behind the scenes machinations that got Von Stroheim fired and Julian hired, are a story unto itself.

Phenomenal find and restoration Flicker Alley!