The Wedding March (1928)

Director:

Erich von Stroheim

Writers:

Harry Carr (writer)
Erich von Stroheim (writer)

Release Date:

6 October 1928 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A young impoverished aristocrat falls in love with an inn-keepers daughter, but has to marry money.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Parade | Parental Relationship | Franz Josef | Social Satire

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Erich von Stroheim	...	Nicki / Prince Nickolas von Wildeliebe-Rauffenburg
Fay Wray	...	Mitzi / Mitzerl Schrammell
Matthew Betz	...	Schani Eberle - the Butcher
Zasu Pitts	...	Cecelia Schweisser
George Fawcett	...	Prince Ottokar von Wildeliebe Rauffenburg
Maude George	...	Princess Maria - Nicki's mother
George Nichols	...	Fortunat Schweisser - the Industrialist
Dale Fuller	...	Katerina Schrammel - Mitzi's mother
Hughie Mack	...	Eberle - the Wine-grower
Cesare Gravina	...	Martin Schrammell - Mitzi's father
Sidney Bracey	...	Navratil
Anton Vaverka	...	Emperor Franz-Josef
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Archduke Leopold of Austria	...	(uncredited)
Albert Conti	...	Imperial Guard (uncredited)
Claire Delmar	...	(uncredited)
Peggy Eames	...	(uncredited)
Ray Erlenborn	...	Altar boy (uncredited)
Carey Harrison	...	Imperial Guard (uncredited)
Danny Hoy	...	Mountain Guide (uncredited)
Hans Joby	...	Imperial Guard (uncredited)
Arthur Lubin	...	Mountain Guide (uncredited)
Madlyn Mougin	...	Prince Ottocar's Maid (uncredited)
Harry Reinhardt	...	Imperial Guard (uncredited)
LaVerne Rooney	...	Extra (uncredited)
Don Ryan	...	Archibishop (uncredited)
Ferdinand Schumann-Heink	...	Imperial Guard (uncredited)
Mme. Ernestine Schumann-Heink	...	(uncredited)
Alec C. Snowden	...	Black Brothel Servent (uncredited)
Carolynne Snowden	...	Black Girl in Brothel (uncredited)
Lucille Van Lent	...	Nicki's Maid (uncredited)
Wilhelm von Brincken	...	Imperial Guard (uncredited)
Carl von Haartman	...	Imperial Guard (uncredited)
Lurie Weiss	...	Cecilia's Maid (uncredited)
Lulee Wilson	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Erich von Stroheim

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Harry Carr		writer
Erich von Stroheim		writer

Produced by
Jesse L. Lasky	....	executive producer
Pat Powers	....	producer
Erich von Stroheim	....	producer
Adolph Zukor	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Louis De Francesco		(uncredited)
J.S. Zamecnik		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Roy H. Klaffki		(co-cinematographer)
Ray Rennahan		(Techicolor camera)
Hal Mohr		(uncredited)
Ben F. Reynolds		(uncredited)
Buster Sorenson		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
Frank E. Hull
Josef von Sternberg		(uncredited)
Erich von Stroheim		(uncredited)
Paul Weatherwax		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Richard Day		(uncredited)
Erich von Stroheim		(uncredited)

Costume Design by
Max Rée
Richard Day		(uncredited)
Erich von Stroheim		(uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Louis Germonprez	....	assistant director
Edward Sowders	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Hal Mohr	....	camera operator
Ben F. Reynolds	....	camera operator (as Ben Reynolds)

Editorial Department
Julian Johnson	....	subsequent editing

Music Department
John Leipold	....	music arranger (uncredited)

Other crew
Albert Conti	....	military advisor
D.R.O. Hatswell	....	military advisor (as Donald Overall-Hatswell)
Archduke Leopold of Austria	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Wilhelm von Brincken	....	technical advisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation

Distributors

• Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation (1928) (USA) (theatrical)
• Paramount Home Video (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Pictures

Also Known As:

Hochzeitsmarsch (Austria) (Germany) [de]
A Marcha Nupcial (Portugal) (original subtitled version) [pt]
Bryllupsmarchen (Denmark) [da]
Häämarssi (Finland) [fi]
L'homme de fer (2 partie de Symphonie nuptiale) (France) (second part title) [fr]
La marcha nupcial (Spain) [es]
La symphonie nuptiale (France) [fr]
Luna di miele (Italy) [it]
Pulmamarss (Estonia) [et]
Sinfonia nuziale (Italy) [it]

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA

Color:

Color (Two-strip Technicolor) | Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System) (musical score and sound effects) | Silent

Filming Locations:

Selig Studio - 1845 Allesandro Street, Edendale, Silver Lake, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation

Trivia:

Erich von Stroheim had a larger project, but shooting was stopped after nine months. He was ordered to make two films of the material: The Wedding March (1928) and the sequel The Honeymoon (1928). The third part he had planned, was never filmed.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Der Kinoerzähler (1993)

Soundtrack:

PARADISE (The Love Theme)

A Wedding in Vienna

Once more Von Stroheim formulates a sharp rejectance towards the declined empire of the Habsburg monarchy in Austria, where marriages for financial reasons are discussed in whorehouses, where noble lovers disdainfully seduce and then leave simple girls from the commons. The dramaturgic constellation is sentimentally done, but the staging is all the more furious and aggressive. The humiliations of the socially inferior class depicted in this film (i.e. Mitzi has to help at the preparations for the wedding of her lost love) cannot be seen as emotional insertions, but as an evidence for the commonly thoughtless brutality of the nobleness, which is not only facing people of the lower classes, but women in general at that time. It's a good, highly artistic, socially involved film, hacked to pieces by the studio bosses - the fate of every monstrous work by this incredibly visionary director, Von Stroheim.