ThesettingisViennain1914beforetheoutbreakofwar.ThearistocraticandsomewhatjadedPrinceNicki,pursuedbyalltheladies,beginsaflirtationwithMitzi,acrippledharpistwhoworksinasuburbanwine-garden,andwhoisinturnidolizedbySchani,anuncouthandviolentlyjealousbutcher.TheirfirstencountersignificantlytakesplaceinfrontofSt.Stephen'sCathedralonCorpusChristiday,withNickiamongtheemperor'scavalryregiment.Later,intherefractedlightoffallingappleblossomsinthewine-garden--scenesofadistilled,etherealbeauty--Nickigraduallywinsherfaithandlove.Meanwhile,amidstthesumptuousandcorruptmilieuofthefamilypalace,Nickiisdrawnintocomplicityagainsthiswill,ashisunscrupulousmotherinformshimhemustmarryCecelia,thedaughterofawealthycommoner,inordertorevivethefamilyfortune.MitzihasavisionofTheIronMan(asymbolofthedecliningpowerandpositionoftheHapsburgdynasty)andfallsbeforethecrucifixinfear;butherloveremainssteadfast,andsheprotestsherfaiththoughabusedbyhermotherandSchani.Infuriatedbyherrejection,SchanithreatenstokillNickionhisweddingdayunlessMitziagreestomarryhim.Followingtheprocessionalsplendorofthecathedralwedding,Schaniappearstocarryouthisthreat,butMitziarrivesintimetostophim;andthroughthedownpouringrainNickisadlygazesonhistrueloveinthecrowdashedrivesawaywithhisbrideddd

　　德国移民的名导演埃里克．冯．施特罗海姆花费了一百三十万美元和十一个月的时间摄制而成的超级文艺片，原拷贝长达五小时，公开上映时浓缩成三小时半。由于耗资惊人，好莱坞大亨本来对埃里克颇有微词，后因本片获得意外的卖座成功而作罢。故事以1919年的蒙地卡罗为背景。埃里克扮演一个欺骗美国外交官女儿的白俄亲王，靠着剥削他的情妇----一个貌丑的女仆为生。由于性虐待狂的驱使，他强奸了一个不幸的白痴女子。最后，他被人杀死，他的尸首很有象征意义地被扔在臭水沟里。埃里克对自然主义情有独钟，希望把一切情史都在画面中表现出来。他特地在加州海边搭建起蒙地卡罗的赌场和雄伟宫殿的布景，并且在采光上有十分大胆的处理方式。影像上也富于感官刺激的煽情暴力场面，甚至劳烦电检单位剪掉了其中的一些镜头。在片中，埃里克用一种辛酸的悲观主义眼光来观察人类，对上层社会的腐朽和封建作出激烈的抨击，流露出一种愤而感伤的怜悯色彩。而对低下层的人物和被骗上当的女子，则寄予同情的关注，表现出独特的“埃里克式人道主义精神"ddd

　　TwodifferencesbetweenthisAustrianversionandthegenerallyavailableAmericanversionareimmediatelyobvious:theydifferbothintheirlengthandinthelanguageoftheintertitles.TheAmericanversionisonly1,883metreslong-at18framespersecondadifferenceofsome7minutestotheAustrianversionwith2,045metres.Whereasweoriginallypresumedonlyanegligibledifference,resultingfromthevaryinglengthoftheintertitles,adirectcomparisonhasneverthelessshownthattheAustrianversiondiffersfromtheAmericanversionbothinthemontageandinthedurationofindividualscenes.YethowcouldithappenthatthelaterregionaldistributionofacanonicalUSsilentfilmwaslongerthanthe"originalversion"bbb　　TheprevalentAmericanversionofBlindHusbandsdoesnotcorrespondtotheversionshownatthepremiereof1919.Thislittle-knownfactwasalreadypublishedbyRichardKoszarskiin1983.Thefilmwasre-releasedbyUniversalPicturesin1924,inaversionthatwas1,365feet(416metres)shorter.At18framespersecond,thisamountstoatimedifferenceof20minutes!"Titleswerealtered,snippetsofactionremovedandatleastonemajorscenetakenoutentirely,wherevonSteubenandMargaretvisitasmalllocalchapel."(Koszarski)　　FromthepresentstateofresearchwecanassumethatalltheknownAmericancopiesofthefilmderivefromthisshortenedre-releaseversion,acopyofwhichUniversaldonatedtotheMuseumofModernArtin1941.AccordingtoKoszarskitheoriginalnegativeofthefilmwasdestroyedsometimebetween1956and1961andhasthereforebeenirretrievablylost.ThisinformationcastsaninterestinglightontheAustrianversion,whichcanbedatedtotheperiodbetweenthesummerof1921andthewinterof1922.Furthermore,thecopyissome200metreslongerthantheUSversionof1924.IfonefollowsthedetailsgivenbyRichardKoszarskiandArthurLennig,thismeansthat,asfarasbothitsdateanditslengthareconcerned,theAustrianversionliesalmostexactlyinthemiddlebetweenthe(lost)versionshownatthepremiereandthere-releasedone.Alargepartoftheadditionallengthofthefilmcanbetracedtocutsthatweremadetothe1924versioninalmosteveryshot.Koszarskidescribeshowthebeginningandtheendofscenesweretrimmed,inorderto"speedup"thefilm.However,moreexcitingwasthediscoverythattheAustrianversioncontainsshotsthataremissingintheAmericanone-shots/countershots,intertitles-andfurthermoreshowsdifferencesinitsmontage(i.e.theplacingoftheindividualshotswithinasequence).AllthisindicatesthatDieRachederBergeconstitutestheoldestandmostcompletelypreservedmaterialofthefilm.

　　埃里克．冯．施特罗海姆导演的此片，在1952年比利时蒙达尔国际电影节评选的电影诞生以来的12部“最佳影片中”名列第七；在1952、1962年英国《画与音响》评选的10部“最佳影片”中，名列第七和第四位；在1958年比利时布鲁塞尔世界博览会评选电影“最佳电影”中，该片名列第六；在1978年《标题》杂志刊登的电影诞生以来的100部“最佳影片”中，名列第18位。故事主要描写麦克．蒂格和马库斯．斯科勒这对好友因五千美元彩券而变得凶残成性，贪婪吝啬，最后引出一系列的悲剧的过ddd