An American Tragedy (Blu-ray) (Import)

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. SPECIAL FEATURES 2019 restoration from a 4K scanOriginal mono audioAudio commentary with film historian Josh Nelson (2023)Tony Rayns on ‘An American Tragedy’ (2023): extensive discussion of Josef von Sternberg’s little-seen gem by the writer and film programmerVideo essay by film historian Tag GallagherImage gallery: promotional and publicity materialsNew and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearingLimited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Imogen Sara Smith, archival interviews and articles, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film creditsWorld premiere on Blu-rayLimited edition of 3,000 copies for the UK