The Salvation Hunters

Sternberg's a little uncomfortable letting the images stand on their own two feet, so the inter-titles are needlessly wordy, but man those images are tremendous. Sort of Docks of New York by way of Chaplin.

Sternberg self-producing on a budget to pitch himself as a director with Ideas and Potential; well, it worked out for him in the long run, at least. He does a great job of demonstrating his ability to come up with interesting shots (and on-the-nose symbolism), that much is sure. As far as narrative... it's rather a long hour, and the turgid intertitles trying to spell out how Artistic and Universally Symbolic this all is are definitely not helping matters.

"Here, Hollywood, here's what I can do on my own. Now don't you want to hire me?" http://illusionpodcast.blogspot.com/2015/11/episode-79-sternberg-before-dietrich.html