Overview
A tale of obsession and desperation driven by the lure of gold.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- bleak
- oppressive
- grotesque
- classic film study
- silent cinema night
What critics said
Critics broadly recognize the film's exceptional direction, acting, stark realism, and narrative power while debating its brutal excesses and heavily cut form.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film emphasizes harsh locations, impoverished domestic life, physical deterioration, and an unsparing tragic atmosphere.
Trina's fixation on her gold and McTeague's desperate response transform a marriage into a struggle over possession.
The lottery winnings and accumulated gold repeatedly govern Trina's behavior, the couple's poverty, and the escalating conflict.
McTeague's limited prospects, Trina's fear of losing her fortune, and Marcus's resentment push the characters toward catastrophe.
Films like Greed, and why
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
shared stark realism, psychological descent, and critique of avarice
The Passion of Joan of Arc
shared tragic marriage, corrosive obsession, and uncompromising naturalism
Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
shared silent-era visual rigor, fatalistic drama, and social brutality
The Pawnbroker
shared literary naturalism, moral collapse, and severe tragic tone
Movie Details
- Director
- Erich von Stroheim
- Release Date
- 1924-12-04
- Runtime
- 140 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (207)
Cast
- Gibson Gowland
- Zasu Pitts
- Jean Hersholt
- Dale Fuller
- Tempe Pigott
- Sylvia Ashton
- Chester Conklin
- Joan Standing
- Jack Curtis
- James F. Fulton
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Greed about?
- A brutally naturalistic silent tragedy in which a lottery fortune turns marriage, friendship, and survival into a lethal contest over gold.
- What is Greed like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Greed as measured, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Greed violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Greed as graphic.
- What did critics think of Greed?
- Critics broadly recognize the film's exceptional direction, acting, stark realism, and narrative power while debating its brutal excesses and heavily cut form.
- Which films are like Greed?
- Films with a similar feel include The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Passion of Joan of Arc, Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, and The Pawnbroker.
- How long is Greed?
- Greed runs 140 minutes.
- Where can I watch Greed?
- In United States, Greed is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube.
