In the middle of his classic series of collaborations with Marlene Dietrich, Josef von Sternberg substituted the iconic German star with Phillips Holmes (The Criminal Code) and Sylvia Sidney (You and Me) to make An American Tragedy, a shocking tale of crime and punishment.
Clyde (Holmes), a poor garment worker with a past he wishes to forget, has a shot at the good life when he meets heiress Sondra (Frances Dee). But when his clandestine girlfriend Roberta (Sidney) announces she is pregnant, Clyde considers drastic actions in order to preserve his dream of affluence.
Based on the novel by Theodore Dreiser (which would later be adapted as A Place in the Sun, starring Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor), and inspired by a notorious real-life murder case, An American Tragedy is a searing indictment of the American dream.
INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES
- 2017 restoration from a 4K scan
- Original mono audio
- Audio commentary with academic and curator Eloise Ross (2023)
- Lucy Bolton on Ginger Rogers (2023): the academic assesses the early career of much-loved star
- Dororthy Arzner and WAAC: a selection of short films directed by Arzner for the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps during World War II
- Image gallery: promotional and publicity materials
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Limited edition exclusive with a new essay by Pamela Hutchinson, archival interviews and articles, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
- World premiere on Blu-ray
- Limited edition of 3,000 copies for the UK
All extras subject to change
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